Tenebrea
by Kemnam
Summary: In an attempt to prepare Dean for the upcoming battle, the angels set in motion an entire series of events that will have the brothers going through all kinds of changes. Especially Dean. Title is Latin for 'shadows' or 'darkness'. I might consider rewriting this.
1. Vial

**Tenebrea**

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just like to mess with them. Enjoy the story, I'll try to update as much as possible.

* * *

Cold has never really affected Castiel. Weather was one of the many things he never minded, including harsh, cold, blizzard nights like this one. Trudging through the deepening snow towards the dark building, Castiel was only troubled by feelings of curiosity and worry. Secret orders, specifically for him, were never a good sign. Especially when they were from Zechariah.

The huge door creaked open to reveal the inside look of the dirty windows and vast empty, dark entry hall. Castiel took a few steps into the hall, looking up the stairs and into the heart of the building. Holding up his hand, some of the lights along the walls flickered back to long forgotten life.

"You were always afraid of the dark, Castiel." Zechariah was sitting on the stairs. His hands clasped loosely. Castiel took that as a good sign, meaning that the matter must not have been too serious. Castiel raised his hand again, with a questioning look.

"If you prefer…?"

"No, no. It's fine." The angel looked up at his companion. "It's time to consider alternative options, Castiel."

Castiel had been wrong. The matter was that serious. He cocked his head in the way he did when he didn't like where the conversation was going. Zechariah reached into his coat pocket while standing up. Castiels eyes widened at what he pulled out.

"Measures like that should never be considered. Where did you get that?" His tone was cautious.

"We just acquired it recently. He needs to be stronger, and right now, that doesn't seem to be happening."

"So you would turn him farther away from god to achieve that?"

Zechariah walked past Castiel, toward the entrance. The snow outside did not falter, and in fact seemed to fall harder. "We're running out of time. He's running out of time. At the state he's in, he won't be able to handle the struggles that come with stopping the apocalypse. If he's going to lead us in battle, he can't hesitate to do what needs to be done."

"If you give him that, he'll do worse than what needs to be done." Castiel faced Zechariah, who was right behind him.

"All the better. With what happened with Alastair, it's only proven that he won't be able to face the pressures of the battlefield."

Castiel immediately backed off. Zechariah was his superior. Disobedience was a great crime. Though in the words of Dean, he really was a "holy pain in the ass."

Zechariah held up his hand, the object lying forebodingly on his skin. "But I'll do you a favor. I'll let you decide when to give it to him." The item dropped into Castiels unexpected hand. Castiel stared down at the object, feeling it's weight on both his skin and on his soul. When he looked back up, Zechariah was gone. Meaning, once again, Castiel had no choice. The lights went out, and the cold and darkness returned. Castiel guessed that he had to pay Dean a visit. He wondered what he was dreaming about.

* * *

The trees were silent except for the slight wind that kept the heat of the sun above the trees at bay. Dean was just sitting there at the base of a tree trunk, listening, letting the small spots of sunlight dance behind his eyelids.

"For a person who's been through so much, you have really calm dreams." Dean's eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice. He slightly turned his head to see Castiel standing beside him, not looking at him. Dean felt like moaning.

"Yeah, but it's better than what else I could be dreaming about." Dean said, getting up. He knew it was too good to be true. Cas fished into his pocket and drew out an object that he kept hidden in his hand. The two men faced each other.

"So what is it this time, Cas?" Dean said. "You want me to torture another demon for information it doesn't know? Or perhaps maybe I can torture other poor souls, like I did in hell."

Castiel said nothing. Dean had just confirmed everything Zechariah was saying. Cas sighed. He held out his hand to show the object resting there. Dean didn't know what to make out of it. It was just a small black vial, no bigger than Dean's second finger. The vial was filled with a dark gray liquid, and written on a label was Dean's name.

Dean looked up at Cas. "You gonna keep me waiting? What is that? It's not like angel beer is it?"

"It's probably best you don't know what it is." Cas said, still not looking at Dean.

Dean shook his head. "And you wonder why we don't trust you."

"Dean, all I can tell you is that it will help you, make you stronger. Give you the strength to do what needs to be done."

Dean looked annoyed. "Your superiors were that disappointed with the Alastair thing, huh?"

"There is good news. Zechariah has left me in charge of when to give it to you." Castiel held out the vial. "So I'm going to give it to you, and let you decide when to take it."

"Cas this is a dream, how am I going to have it?" Dean asked skeptically.

"You'll have it when you wake up. Dean, I trust you enough to know when the time is right." Castiel put a hand on his shoulder, and Dean felt a rushing feeling. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was lying in the bed of the motel room, Sam's soft breathing came from the next bed. Dean sat up, and felt something cold in his hand. He looked down and sure enough, the vial was there, glowing with a strange dark light, illuminating his name.

Dean got up and went to the bathroom, inspecting the vial. Now that he had a closer look, the stuff in the vial seemed more vaporous, a mist instead of a liquid. There were a few tiny black chunks drifting around, and Dean didn't even want to think about what those were. Dean pocketed the vial and walked back out into the room. The red LED of the clock said that it was a little after three in the morning. Dean groaned softly. What could he do? Go back to sleep? Dean thought against it. Pulling on a shirt and jacket, Dean quietly left the room and drove the Impala to a nearby 24 hour diner. He sat down at the bar and ordered coffee from the overly tired waitress.

The case they were working on had already turned for the worst. Four mutilated and mangled bodies had been found in the woods not far from the highway leading to the town. The cops could make out possible bear or cougar attacks, but the thing is that there aren't very many bears or cougars in New Jersey. Of course, Sam and Dean already knew what it was. Well, not exactly, but they had a better idea than anybody else.

Bobby had suggested it might be another Rugaru, like the one they had gone up against with that other hunter. Dean doubted it for some reason. Something was just a little to precise about these killings, and not to mention that all of the men and one woman killed had been a part of the trade of special artifacts. And what was even more weird was the fact that each of them had been killed with their most prized possession. One beaten in with a 17th century bust of some famous guy, the other sliced and gutted with an ancient Chinese katana. All of them made to look like suicide. But even the cops knew that a person couldn't continue to slice themselves when their bodies were past dead. But Sam and Dean knew that something else could make a person do.

Demonic possession had always fascinated Dean simply by the prospect of how much it took to kill them physically. Flashes of Dean torturing Alistair and Alistair him, both in hell and in that room, went through Dean's mind. He had remembered feeling the exact same way when he was torturing souls in hell. But torturing Alistair had had a little more of the sour taste of revenge. Alistair was right about one thing, though. This reality was too limited. The range of torture on Earth was nothing compared to that of hell, where being flayed and shucked was part of minimal damage. Oh, how Dean wished he-

No, Dean shook his head. His coffee lay untouched before him, he never even saw the waitress set it down in front of him. Dean drank it straight and black, hissing through his teeth a little at the bitter taste and the hot liquid, which now probably killed his taste buds. The waitress was cleaning the bar, probably for lack of anything better to do only a meter from Dean.

"You look like you've had a rough night." Dean realized she had a British accent. She was a middle-aged woman, probably in early forties with tattered curly brown hair helplessly tied up in a bun and a beauty spot under her right eye. Dean imagined that in her younger years, she might have been quite the catch. But now she looked kind and wise, but most of all lonely, and just wanted some one to talk to. Dean figured they both had something in common at the moment.

"You could say that. Sleep didn't go as well as I thought." As soon as he said that, he felt the weight of the vial against his leg in his pocket.

"Wife not treating you well?" The woman asked.

Dean straightened. "Pardon?"

"Excuse me sir, but I thought a fine featured gentleman such as yourself would have a special some one to go home to when the day was done." The woman looked down.

"No, just me and my brother right now, looking out for each other. We're working a case right now." Dean took another sip of his coffee.

"Ooh, a man with a badge. The surprises never stop." The woman chuckled. "You looking into those deaths?" Dean nodded. "Well, if you ask me, I think they deserved it. Weren't the nicest of people, always taking what didn't belong to them…" The woman suddenly looked solemn.

Dean started to feel awkward, and the woman must have sensed it, because she looked back up again, her friendly attitude restored. "But who am I to judge people."

Dean realized that the day was birthing, and he should probably be getting back to Sam. But, another part of him told him he shouldn't leave the woman alone so suddenly like that. Dean stood, and walked over to the woman on the other side of the counter, pulling out and digging through his wallet. The woman was about to say something, but he laid a twenty down in front of her hand that held the dirty rag in it.

"Thank you for the coffee." Dean said flashing her a kind smile. With that he turned and walked out of the diner. Driving back to the motel, Sam was awake, just coming out of the bathroom. He froze when he saw Dean.

"Hey, man. You ok?" Sam finished wiping the toothpaste off his mouth.

Dean gave a weak smile back. "Yeah, just had to wake up a little harder this time." Dean sat down on the bed. "So what are we killing today?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I heard that there's another big trade business dealer coming in today." Sam sat in a chair across from him. "So, I think that if the memo for this thing keeps up, we should try to protect her."

"Yeah, either that, or catch whatever this thing is in the act." Dean suggested. Sam gave him a look.

"And protect her, right?"

Dean sighed and nodded. Dean had always understood the concept that they could not save everyone. Sam however, was always so determined to prove that they could. He had been proved otherwise on several occasions. Dean had always suspected it was because Sam felt guilty for something. Probably having kept all these secrets from Dean. And only God, if there was one, knew what else Sam was keeping behind his shiny green eyes. Sam and Dean checked out of the motel and peeled out of the parking lot in the Impala.

"Her name is Sandra Caine, and she's coming in at around two today." Sam reported after hanging up the phone and slipping the fake ID into his inside jacket pocket. "She's got the perfect profile for this things memo. Big business dealer, special artifacts, it's almost too perfect."

Dean looked distractedly at the road ahead of him. "Huh? What?"

"Dean, did you hear me at all?" Sam asked, a little annoyed. "Something happened, didn't it? Dean?"

Dean shot a sideways glance at Sam. Damn that kid and his intuition. Dean figured if he was going to get anywhere with this, he ought to set an example. He reached into his jeans and pulled out the little vial. Sam hesitated to take it. He held it up to his face and inspected it closely, his big brothers name written neatly down the side.

"How…?"

"Castiel gave it to me. He said it would give me the strength to do what needs to be done." He looked at Sam. Sam let his mouth hang open a little and looked at the vial one more time. He handed it back to Dean.

"What do you think that means?" Sam asked.

"Means I screwed up big time with Alistair. And now the angels think they can give me steroids to help them with their mission."

"What are you gonna do with it?" Sam asked casually. Dean paused, which discouraged Sam.

"I don't know yet." Sam sat back in silence, and the Impala was gunned down the road towards town.

* * *

Three hours later, dressed in nice suites and ties, Sam and Dean were walking behind Sandra Cain, who happened to be a skinny Asian chick, and happened to look a lot like the girls Dean looked at on "Busty Asian Beauties". Except she looked a lot more serious and had a lot more covered up. They followed her into the hotel and up the elevator, as well as all the way to her bedroom. At the door frame, she turned to the two of them.

"Thank you, you guys have been excellent escorts. I think I can handle it from here."

"Of course. We know your tired, so if you need anything just give us a call." Sam said scribbling his number down on a card. Sandra took it and smiled, then closed the door. Sam and Dean looked at each other. "What now? We gonna sleep out in the hallway?"

Dean gave him a look, then started walking away. No more than five steps away, they heard a scream coming from the room. Both of them whipped out there guns and Dean broke down the door. They saw Sandra standing rigid in the hallway and the very last wisps of black smoke disappear into her eyes. She stopped screaming, and her body relaxed. She turned around and Dean and Sam lowered their guns. Her eyes were still black, and she smiled at the brothers.

"Hello, Dean, Sam. Been awhile hasn't it?" The thing said with a British accent. A sudden recognition washed over Dean like a tidal wave.

"Oh god," he barely said. A familiar sly smile crept across her lips.

"What? What is it?" Sam gave Dean a scared look.

Dean swallowed. "Bella."

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A/N: Haha, exciting, right? please comment and review.

Hey, don't stop! The Story get's a LOT better, I swear! Only reason I'm saying this is because the first chapter has over 800 hits, then second chapter has just barely 300, which means a lot of people are dropping out. Don't do that! I worked late into the night on this story, so I would appreciate it if you read further, but if you don't like it, please let me know!


	2. Mist

Bella's back, but now she's a Demon with a vengence. What will she do to the boys, and what secrets will she reveal? First supernatural story so go easy.

* * *

Dean felt the trembling first start with what felt like his chest. Then he struggled to make sure it didn't show in his hands by gripping his gun tight. She couldn't be here, not like this. Not as a demon. But now everything made sense. Why all the killings were big business traders mauled to death with their own special belongings. Bella, who used to sell other peoples stolen goods to the biggest buyer, was now taking on a demons fermata and punishing those who did what she used to do.

Bella smiled. Sam and Dean went flying against the walls of the hotel suite. Sam and Dean struggled a little, but they both new it was futile. She walked over to the bed and hauled up the suite case onto it. She unzipped it and smiled as she pulled out a sexy pair of matching bra and underwear that belonged to the body she was possessing and held it up to show the boys. She giggled a little as she saw then both clench their jaws and turn their heads away.

"So that was you at the diner as well?" Dean growled.

"Yeah, thought I might get caught up with your life before I re-introduced myself." Bella said, still digging through the suite case. Her eyes flashed as she pulled out a shoe-sized box. When she opened it, Sam and Dean saw the reflection of jewels on her face. She reached in and pulled out what looked like some kind of ancient Chinese comb with out a handle, with a jeweled flower and leaves on top. Bella's jaw dropped a little. "Well, you've got to admit she's got good taste. Tang Dynasty, probably belonged to a lower concubine."

Bella pushed some hair aside, and Sam and Dean thought she was going to put it in her hair. But then, unexpectedly, she shoved the three-inch long needles of the hairpin into her neck. Blood immediately started to over run the flower and the leaves, dripping all down her neck and suite and onto the floor. Bella left the hairpin there, and smiled at the boys. Sam and Dean gave her looks of pure disgust and hatred. They knew now that the girl inside there was going to die as soon as Bella was exercised.

Bella let the smile fall and She walked over to Dean. She stared at him for a while, with cold nostalgic eyes.

"You did a lot of bad things to me in the pit, Dean." She said quietly. Dean's eyes widened and he shot a quick look at Sam. "I have to say, when I saw it was you doing the tearing one day, I was quite shocked. I thought, that you of all people would have been the one to say no every single time. It gives me a warm feeling to know that someone like me outlasted you."

"Dean?" Sam was looking at him, his eyes surprised and sad.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Bella spun around, getting a little loose blood splattered across Dean's chin. "Three years after he said yes, I was his next charge. I think you can imagine my surprise when I saw him. I could already tell he was turning, that hell was starting to take him over. He didn't even hesitate with the first cut, or any other cut as a matter of fact. Then Alistair was behind him, whispering into his ear."

"Bella stop!" Dean yelled.

"He told me that I could be taken off the rack, if I sliced the people that were on." Bella turned slowly toward Dean. "That fire in your eyes…you were having fun. Even I could tell you were enjoying yourself." She turned back to Sam. "So I said yes, to your brother. And he taught me all the best ways to make people scream. After a couple years of doing it together, we went our separate ways. I succumbed to the darkness of hell. And then there was the day the angels came for him."

"Bella…stop." Dean sounded so desperate.

"Everything got scattered, and when I looked up, I saw Dean being carried off by one of them. He was screaming, begging for the angel to let him go, let him go back."

"BELLA!" But Sam already had tears welling in his eyes.

"I bet torturing Alistair brought back some good memories, didn't it?" Bella sneered.

"That's enough." Bella spun around and saw Castiel standing, legs apart.

Bella stepped back. "It was you." She said. Castiel advanced and grabbed Bella's neck, crushing the hairpin. Sam and Dean fell from the walls. Dean immediately zeroed his gun on Bella.

"You're gonna pay for that." He growled.

Bella smacked Castiels arm away and sent Sam and Dean flying into various objects around the room. As Dean struggled to get up, Bella gave him a good one in the face. "You left me down there." She hit him again. "You made me what I am." And again. "You don't deserve to be human." And again. Dean's eyelid had started bleeding and his nose and mouth were also bleeding.

There was a gunshot and a burst of blood from Bella's shoulder. She spun around and flung Sam hard against the wall again. Castiel came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her torso. Bella was quick and strong, though, and soon Castiel was also thrown to a wall. Dean was watching all of this with a throbbing head. But he knew that it would take a lot to stop Bella. She was smart, strong, and ruthless. And he…he had taught her everything she knows. Dean wasn't…strong enough. An image flashed in his head and he put his hand in his pocket.

Bella was there in an instant. She grabbed his shirt and hoisted him up above her head. "You were as bad as me, in the pit. Yet you were the one who was redeemed." She leaned in closer. "It's about time you actually get what you do deserve."

Dean smiled with his broken lips. "You remember my first lesson, Bella? Torture first, then talk."

With that, Dean let the vial fall out of his hand. When it broke on the floor a powerful shockwave pushed Bella back, and Dean fell to his knees. The quantity of mist in the air exceeded what it looked like in the bottle. Long tendrils of it floated up to Dean's face, like it knew exactly where to go. Dean took a deep inhaled, and there was still mist trying to be absorbed. It went into his eyes and his ears, even into the open cuts on his face. Some of it gathered around his fingernails and started glowing. Dean took several more inhales, and finally there was no more. His eyes were closed. With out opening them, Dean stood, slowly and steady. He gasped through his mouth a couple of times. Then he opened his eyes.

"Wow, what a rush." He said. Dean cricked his neck. "I wonder if meth is like that."

Bella took a step back. "What happened to you? Your eyes."

Sam was kneeling on the floor, he had watched the whole thing. He didn't think that either of them had expected to use the vial so soon. And the whole absorption process scared him more than anything, even the words Bella had said. But as far as he could see, there was nothing wrong with his eyes. Dean wiped a couple droplets of moisture away. Then he advanced on Bella, his gun lay forgotten on the floor. Bella backed away frantically, yelling for him to stay back and not to touch her. Finally, Dean had her backed against a wall, and she was almost begging for mercy. Dean grabbed her neck and pulled her to eye level. Bella tossed her head, but when she finally made eye contact with Dean, she became really still. Her eyes went black, and then she tossed back her head and the black smoke that was Bella came out of her mouth and disappeared through the overhead vent. Sandra Cain's body fell to the floor

Dean turned around, and Sam saw what Bella had been so afraid of. Inscribed on his iris, glowing and fading fast, were symbols around a pentagram. An ancient writing it almost seemed. The symbols faded and Dean collapsed. Castiel and Sam rushed to him. He was out cold.

"Castiel, what the hell did you guys give to him?" Both of them were under one arm.

"I…they changed it. Modified it somehow."

"Changed what, Castiel?" Sam almost screamed at him.  
"I'll explain later."

The next thing Sam knew they were back in their own hotel room.

* * *

A/N: Oh jeez, things getting intense yeah... this is probably the fastest I've ever uploaded a knew chapter. Read and review!


	3. Opposite

Everybodies safe, and Castiel reveals the truth about Dean. Dean wakes up and is not to happy about it. Then the unexpected happens.

* * *

Sam sat anxiously at Dean's bedside. He'd already given Dean a once over to find out there was nothing wrong with him. When he took a peak under his eyelids, he saw that the markings that had driven Bella out of her body were now black on the iris. Sam also discovered that there were some markings on his nails that Sam had only ever seen once before. They were the same markings on Ruby's knife, the knife she used to kill demons. Dean was still out cold when Sam heard a flap and turned around to see Castiel.

"Castiel," Sam said standing. "Please tell me you have some good news."

The look on Castiel's face told him otherwise. Castiel walked around and laid a hand on Dean's forehead.

"Good, he's dreaming. He won't wake up anytime soon."

"Castiel, what is going on? What was in that vial?" Sam asked anxiously.

"His demon essence. The demon part that started growing in him as soon as he started torturing souls in hell." Castiel sat down on the other bed. Sam had his mouth hanging open. "Except, they changed it. Now it's no more demonic than it is to help Dean face or kill demons."

"So the whole thing with the fingernails and the eyes, that's demon power purified?"

"If you want to put it in terms of that, then you can say they put a little archangel in him. All things have an opposite, Sam. Angel's and demon's; good and evil. Archangel's are the equivalent of high rank demons. So they took Dean's essence, made it it's mirror opposites, and added some special modifications to it." Castiel put his hand over his eyes. "Then they gave it to me to give it to him, knowing that he would use it in this circumstance."

"Okay…but that still doesn't explain to me exactly what it did to him."

"It made him stronger, less conscious about killing demons with concern for the host. The angels are trying to prepare his mind and his body for the upcoming war and being Michael's vessel. If they didn't do it now, then they would have done it some other time."

"So you basically made him into the perfect demon killing machine." Sam summarized. Castiel nodded. Sam slumped down in a chair and slapped his hands over his eyes. "This is just perfect." Then he pointed at Dean. "Wake him up and tell him what you told me."

Castiel nodded and placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. His eyes snapped open and he gasped a little. He sat up immediately, looking around the room and muttering something about Bella. The symbols on his eyes were glowing a little. But he seemed to calm down a little when he looked around and saw Sam and Castiel. His gaze lingered a little on Sam, with a relieved look. His eyes narrowed at Castiel.

"You angels are really stupid and inconsiderate, among other things. You know that?" Dean snarled. He rubbed his head.

"Dean, the vial, it-" Sam began. But Dean held up a hand.

"I know, I heard you. I heard everything." Dean groaned.

"I thought you said he couldn't here us." Sam said turning on Castiel.

"I couldn't hear you, I could only hear him." Dean said pointing at Castiel. Sam and Castiel looked at each other, Castiel shrugged.

"Archangel power is for greater than my own. His must have ruled mine out." Castiel said. "He is very powerful."

Dean threw his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked a little…darker, to Sam. His eyebrows were set even more so that it cast shadows over his eyes, and his over all physic gave off an evil feeling. Not for the first time, Sam was uncomfortable sitting around his brother. But it was the first time that Sam was truly afraid of Dean.

Dean got up and went to the bathroom, and Sam followed. Dean flicked on the light. Sam saw him take one look at his eyes and take a step back. He saw Dean curl one hand into a fist. With out warning, Dean threw it at the mirror, making Sam jump and Castiel shoot to his feet.

Dean stared at the broken mirror. To Dean, the first thing he saw when he looked into that mirror was another demon, wearing his face. He pressed his fist deeper into the broken glass, his scattered reflection staring at him from a dozen different angles.

"Zechariah…" Dean hissed. He spun around and shoved past Sam and into the bedroom and went straight up to Castiel. "Where is he?"

Castiel backed away from the advancing Dean. "Calm down, Dean. Where's who?"

"Zechariah! I want to cough his angel mist in his face!" Dean was fuming. The symbols in his eyes were glowing slightly. This time, the angels went too far. First with Alistair, then with reuniting him with his demon part, it was just too much. For a moment, Dean felt like taking it out on Castiel right then and there. He felt like shoving his hand through his chest, taking Castiels heart right out, bringing it up to his mouth-

Dean stopped short, shocked with him. He had never thought himself even capable of such violent thoughts. He brought his hand up to his face and saw the markings on his fingernails. Dean slapped the hand over his face, taking a deep breath. Sam watched his brother with growing concern.

"Dean, calm down. Maybe this is a good thing. I mean you can kill demons without a sweat-"

"And we were having such a hard time with it before!" Dean turned on Sam. "Sam, they turned me into a freak! You should want to get back at them more than I should!"

"Believe me Dean, right now I do. But let's just calm down and think about it for a sec-"

"SAM!" Dean couldn't believe his brother. Sam slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Sam, when I exercised Bella, I couldn't even feel any emotion. But I also knew that deep down, it was just like torturing souls in hell."

"Dean, that's kind of the point." Castiel said behind him. Dean whirled around and raised his hand in a blade like fashion. Castiel raised his arms to defend himself. Dean saw Castiel, scared of him, and lowered his hand. He turned back to Sam.

"Sam, I knew, that even if Bella hadn't killed the host, then I would have."

Sam stared at his brother with understanding. Dean looked down at the markings on his fingernails again. He gave an exasperated sigh.

"Ok, what-" Dean started, but was cut short by the windows of the room imploding. Everyone put their hands to their heads and ducked for cover. Black smoke immediately filled the room. Dean was surrounded by the stuff, and he covered his mouth and nose. The symbols in his eyes were glowing a little, making it back off a little from his face, but not enough to disperse it all away. Dean grimaced. The demon hugged tight to his body and Dean just knew in his mind that it was Bella. He could hear her laughing in his ear. He could also hear Sam's yell growing more and more distant. Suddenly the smoke dispersed, and Dean was left kneeling on a cold stone floor. He looked up to see the black smoke disappearing down a woman's throat. As soon as it was gone, she looked at him with deep black-pitted eyes. About fifteen other people with the same black eyes surrounded her, all looking very pissed. Dean swallowed.

He felt a wave wash over him that swept away all the feelings of fear and helplessness, leaving only anger and immense strength. Dean straightened his face into a deep scowl and shot to his feet. The first demon that rushed at him, Dean shoved his finger into the flesh of his chest. The fiery sparks of the dying demon inside flickered beneath the skin, and Dean pulled his fingers out to do the same thing to another demon. Both immediately dropped to the ground. Spinning around, Dean cleanly sliced his fingernails through another demons neck, grabbed another one by the neck and pinned him up against the wall. The symbols in his eyes were glowing brightly. The smoke started to pour out of the demons mouth, but something struck Dean hard over the head, and he fell to the ground unconscious. Bella was standing at his feet, in her hand a stone she must have picked up when Dean was busy killing the others. She looked at Dean observantly, then motioned to the rest of the others. "Let's get started, then. Shall we?"

* * *

Sam and Castiel stood up on the broken glass. Dean was nowhere in sight. Sam felt like punching a wall. This was not happening! He ran both hands through his hair, trying to remain calm at all cost. Surely, with the way he was, Dean could take care of himself, and actually kill Bella this time. But…what if she killed him first? No, he wouldn't let her do that. But…? Sam, stop contradicting yourself, he thought. He turned to Castiel to find out he was gone. Sam took one look around the room and decided that he needed to get out of there fast. Lucky for him, Dean had left the keys in the car which Castiel had brought along when he had brought them back to the hotel. Sam grabbed both his and Dean's bags and his coat and bolted out the door.

The Impala roared down the road, it wasn't till Sam was about three miles out that he realized he had no idea where he was going. Sam decided it was finally time to call up Ruby.

* * *

A/N: ZOMG! What is Bella's plans? Can Sam and Ruby stop her in time? Read and review, next chapter should be soon, since i'm really into this.


	4. Blood and Bones

Dean has been captured, Castiel has disappeared, and Sam moves to drastic measures. What is Bella's plan?

* * *

Dean felt pinpricks of pain all up and down his back, and even more starting in his shoulders when he woke up. He was tied to a chair and his shirt had been removed, he was hunched over staring at the ground. When he tried to straighten up, pain massacred the nerves in his back. But Dean bit his tongue to suppress the scream rising in his throat and held still. It didn't hurt to move his neck. He looked around to see…nothing. As far a he could tell, he was in some sort of cleared out building. A large one, too. The windows were dirty, so Dean couldn't see outside to where he was. Dean felt like groaning.

"Bout time you woke up." Dean snapped his head to the left to see Bella standing there.

"Bella." Dean spat. "You always did have a fast comeback."

Bella looked up, past his head. "You may resume. He's not going anywhere."

Two demons appeared on either side of him, both holding a handful of IV's with long tubes leading somewhere out of sight. The demons each took an IV, and pushed Dean's head forward. Dean had to growl loudly when he felt the IV's pierce into his neck harshly. He scowled up at Bella.

"So what exactly do you have me hooked up to so passionately? Huh?" Bella looked up. Dean turned his head to follow her gaze. Hanging from the bare rafters of the building were all the demons he had killed. They were hanging upside down by their feet, and they looked just as stuck with IV's as Dean did. The IV's connected them, and even now Dean could feel their blood mixing in with his. He jerked his head back towards Bella, and the look on his face must have expressed his hatred towards her really well.

"I heard everything your little angel friend said. If they really did put your demon essence back in you, then they have just given us our greatest weapon."

"Yeah, except you missed one little detail. It's not demon anymore, it's the opposite. Archangel, I might add."

Bella whisked away that detail with a flick of her wrist. "It can be easily reversed, seeing as essence is one of the few things you can never put seals on or make permanent changes to. But you miss the point Dean."

The demons shoved two more IV's into Dean's shoulder. He groaned loudly. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"

Bella leaned in close, right next to Dean's ear.

"We need a leader, Dean. It's not gonna be me, I'm not powerful enough. Your brother won't do it, and he's killed off all the other candidates. And if we can revive that demon essence, and then do a little reverse process of our own, it WILL be you."

Dean would have maintained the dumbfounded look on his face if the two demons on either side had not stuck two more IV's into him. Dean could feel his skin tingle from raised blood pressure. Bella seemed to notice. She came around in front of him and pulled out a knife. She drew it across Dean's thigh, and the blood seemed to ooze out like the juicy center in a gummy candy in an endless stream. The tingling lessened a little.

"And what makes you think I'll go through with that?"

"Oh trust me dear, when we're done here, you'll have no problem with it."

The demons stuck two more IV's into Dean, and Dean couldn't help but cry out a little.

* * *

Sam sat nervously on the bed, impatiently tapping his knee. When he heard the knock on the door, he nearly busted it down. Opening the door, Ruby strolled in past him.

"Okay, so whats the big emergency?"

"Ruby! What took so long? I summoned you twenty seconds ago!"

"You think it's easy getting from place to place? Answer the question, Sam." Ruby looked around at the small hotel room. "Where's Dean?"

"That's the emergency! The angels didn't like how Dean failed with Alistair, so they made him and to an archangel level demon killing thing, and Bella took him somewhere after he exercised her with his eyes, and I have no idea where he is! Please help me!"

Ruby stood there with a "are you kidding me?" look on her face. She sighed, made Sam calm down, and he explained the whole situation to her better.

"Sam, this is going to take more than the simple tracking spell I used before. I know the demon your talking about, she's very powerful. Then again…so was your brother." Ruby looked at Sam.

"Then how do we find him?" Sam ran his hands through his hair.

"I have an idea, and it's a little strange. But your just gonna have to bear with me on this." Sam waited. Ruby breathed. "If we can summon the hell hound that dragged your brother to hell in the first place, we may be able to follow it as it tracks him down."

Sam actually wasn't all surprised by that plan, as it actually made a lot of sense. He nodded, much to Ruby's surprise.

"What ever it takes, just so long as we find him. What do we need?"

"Well…I can get the other stuff myself, but you could provide some of Dean's scent, if you have any. But Sam, you have to know, that this ritual is mainly used by contract holders when they're closing a deal. There could be a chance that if the hell hound does find your brother, it would kill him and drag him back to hell."

Sam shook his head, "It's only plan we have right now. Do it as soon as you can. What do you need?"

Ruby sighed. "Well seeing as I don't actually own a hell hound, and I'm not a contract holder, it is gonna take some special items. One of them would be a thing Dean was very close too, like had on his person. And some other would be wolfsbane, witches hair, and a demons jaw bone, and that includes the flesh still attached."

"I can get those things, but it might take a while." Sam started to put his coat on.

"You're going now?" Ruby said, somewhat astonished.

"From what Bella said, she could be doing something awful to him right now. The sooner we get this done, the better." Sam left Ruby in the hotel room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Dean felt like he had a fever. Several other cuts had been made to allow his blood to flow and lower the blood pressure. Every now and then, Bella would walk by, Dean didn't see her coming in the first place, and swipe a finger over a cut. Tasting it, she would make a small remark under her breath, but only loud enough for Dean to hear her. Small things like, "not quite there," and "just a little bit longer." Last time, she had tasted it, stopped, looked at Dean, smiled, then walked off. Dean knew that couldn't have been a good sign. That had been a couple of hours ago.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting in that chair with needles in his back and his temperature steadily getting higher and higher. Right now, his vision was blurry and shaky, and he could feel different parts of his body twitch violently, especially his fingers and neck. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Dean began to wonder if he was going to die. Was this what Bella wanted? To get revenge? No, Bella was above that. What was Sam doing? Was he okay? Was he looking for him? Maybe he had been taken out by demons that knew he would come after him. Dean felt his hand twitch, which caused him to open his sticky eyes. He obviously had not slept very well at all for the past three days. He heard foot steps and turned his head slowly to see Bella and three other demons walking towards him.

Dean sneered. What now? The three demons walked around behind Dean. He tensed. Slowly and delicately, the demons began pulling the IV's out of Dean. It took a while, and when they were all out, Dean's back, shoulders, and neck were traced with little rivers of blood. Each demon took a part of him. Two carrying his arms and one carrying his legs. Bella lead the way into a marble tiled bathroom with a large tub at the end of the room. Dean turned his head to see that the tub was filled with a dark liquid. He wanted to thrash and kick, try to get out of the demons grasp. But Dean found himself unusually weak. The demons raised Dean above the bathtub and began lowering him in. Bella watched closely.

As Dean began to sink into the water, Dean looked down and saw that the liquid was very thick, and turned red when it ran over his perfectly chiseled abs _(sorry, I had to ;)_. Dean's eyes widened.

A sudden surge of strength sent Dean into a twitching fit. The demons rushed him into the blood, submerging his whole body. Panicked, Dean sat up, his face covered with blood and took a deep inhale. Right away he was forced back under, and held under. Dean twisted and jolted, but he was weak, losing air, and the demons were also using their force to hold Dean under. Dean opened his eyes. The blood stung his eyes. Dean screamed, releasing the rest of his air.

_Dean_, a voice said. Dean couldn't tell who it belonged to. Maybe it was Bella's, or his own. It could have been Sam's, or Castiel's. Or maybe even all four. _Dean, let it in. You'll survive. Don't fight. Fight and you'll destroy yourself._

Dean opened his mouth again. But this time he began taking large gulps of blood, hoping maybe to consume enough to lower the level and get air. In the back of Dean's mind, he knew this was impossible. But he was desperate. Eventually, he gave up the effort as air lose began to make him feel dizzy. Once again, the voice said, _Take it in._

Dean filled his mouth with the blood and took it like he was breathing. Dean felt a sharp sting in his heart and lungs, and after some momentary discomfort, Dean found himself breathing easily. He was faintly aware of the chanting voice above him. Despite Dean's new respiratory ability, Dean slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Sam entered the room, Ruby was in the middle of it, with a triangular drawing on the floor and three candles at each point. In his hand he held a bloody bag. He had been on a rampage for three days straight. The wolfsbane had been easy to get, and the witch's hair wasn't that hard either. But the demon jaw, was what he had a little trouble with. Hair and skin was one thing, but ripping out jaw bones and other bodily appendages was quite different. But this was important, and Sam had finally managed to track a demon down.

Ruby opened the bag and pulled out the jaw bone, with the stubble still on the chin of the skin. She dropped it on the pile of the other ingredients. Ruby let her eyes go completely black as she started chanting. The candle light flickered, and Sam heard a howl off in the distance.

* * *

A/N: I read over the last part and found that it was a little confusing. If you have any questions, please just write a review just asking. But still, read and review, and enjoy.


	5. Brother?

Sam and Ruby are closing in on Dean, but he has changed. How will everybody react?

* * *

Even though Sam couldn't see the hell hound, he could tell exactly where it was. Right now it was sniffing at the drivers seat of the Impala, getting Dean's scent. Sam couldn't think of a more perfect object to obtain Dean's scent. There was a growl, a whoosh of wind, and a few little puffs of dust leading away from them.

"Shouldn't we-" Sam turned to Ruby, to find that she had her eyes closed.

"I'm tracking it. Be quiet." Sam could see her eyes moving under her eyelids. After about two minutes. She opened her eyes. "I know where it's going. It's not far from here. It's an old warehouse a turn off the highway. I have to go, I need to be there in person to call it off before it kills your brother."

With that, Ruby disappeared. Sam jumped in the Impala and gunned the engine, peeling out onto the road that would have made even Dean brace against the frame. A thousand thoughts were racing through Sam's mind. Would Dean be okay? What about his new essence? Maybe it was that that would keep alive. Maybe he killed all the demons already. But then he would have called, tried to get in contact with Sam. It was the fact that he didn't that made Sam know that something was terribly wrong.

* * *

Bella watched as the demon continued to chant over the tub of blood that Dean was submerged in. She knew he must have been circulating it at the moment, and that was when the reverse process began. The basic idea was to make the transition easy with a good medium, that was were replacing Dean's blood with that of demons came in. That would also break one of the seals that Bella had investigated into when she had captured Dean. She was surprised to find only three seals on Dean's demon essence. Powerful seals, but then again that's not saying much when it comes to essence. So breaking the first seal, the seal that kept hold of the other two, was easy. The other two would be a little trickier.

Using an old demon cleansing ritual would be the first reverse process. It required the person, or thing, to bath and take in the blood of it's current form, then after a few lines of an old demon language, just add a drop of the blood that they wanted to become. Of course, they were going to use a variation of this ritual, that would target the essence instead of the body. Once the demon blood was added, the essence would take on it's true form once again. That would take care of the seal that was keeping it the essence of an angel

The demon stopped chanting and turned his head towards Bella, keeping his hands over the tub. Bella walked over and produced a knife from her jacket. She rolled up her sleeve and slide the blade across her skin. A couple of drops fell into the tub, and Bella saw as the darker blood spread and effected the other blood. A few bubbles popped to the surface, probably from Dean. The Demon resumed chanting. The second part was another reverse process. This would reverse the ratio of Dean's essence with the demon's essence. Originally, something like this would be very dangerous. But seeing as both essences were almost one and the same, the only problem was the seal, which was keeping the essence from taking over Dean. And once again, it would be easy to break.

Bella felt a chill that she had only felt once in her life, that she remembered from her vague human memories. Bella turned. She heard the demon pause in his chanting. She told him to keep going, and walked out of the room. She entered into the big corridor and faced the double doors that adjourned the far wall. She stood with her legs apart. Other demons appeared behind her. The doors burst open and Bella sneered. She hated hell hounds. The hell hound growled. It wasn't long after that that Ruby appeared around the corner, which surprised Bella. Ruby shouted something, and the hell hound halted. Ruby stood in the doorway, confronted by Bella and about five other demons. She drew her knife.

There was a squeal of wheels and a moment later, Sam was standing next to her with a gun. Bella cocked her head. "How interesting."

"Where is he?" Sam shouted.

"He's a little busy at the moment." Bella replied. "Can I take a message?"

Sam stepped forward. He fired the gun and the demon right to the left of Bella fell. Sam asked the question again, with equal if not more fury. Bella glared at him.

"You won't like what you find." The other demons stepped around Bella and advanced on Sam. Bella turned and returned to the room with the tub. By the demons fast chanting and the churning and bubbling of the tub, Bella could guess that he was almost done.

Sam and Ruby managed to cut and blow their way through the demons. They ran after Bella and followed her into the white bathroom, where a demon was kneeling before a tub that was overflowing with dark red liquid. Aiming carefully, Sam shot the demon in the back of the head. He fell to the ground, and the tub stopped churning. Bella laughed in the corner. Sam leveled his gun at her. Ruby said something under her breath and the hell hound came bursting into the room. It stopped, confused because it could no longer smell it's target. Bella strolled over to the tub and dipped her finger in it. She put it in her mouth and smiled. "Perfect." She continued to chant, only a few words in a demonic language. She held a hand over the tub.

"Rise."

A hand gripped the rim of the tub, glistening with blood. Sam recognized the silver washer ring on the index finger. The rest of the creature continued to rise, dripping blood from it's form. It got up to it's full height, and Sam began to recognize it's features more and more. His gun point lowered. It stepped one leg over the rim and then the other, and took a couple of steps. Blood trailed behind him. He brought his hands up to his face and wiped the blood away.

Dean gasped. He ran his fingers through his hair and down his arms. He was shirtless, and the blood collected in the natural crevices between his muscles. He looked stronger, taller too. Sam hardly recognized his brother. All the little pinprick scars on his back, neck, and shoulders, were completely gone. Sam felt himself shaking, and he heard Ruby gasp just behind him. Bella was hyperventilating. When Dean opened his eyes, Sam felt like screaming.

The whites of Dean's eyes were now red, completely. His irises completely black, with no signs of depth, life, or human conscious. No signs of Dean. A few tears of blood came from his eyes, and Dean tried to wipe them away but ended up just smearing them over his face.

Dean looked around. He had always been a little far sighted, but now everything was so vivid and clear, like a thin plastic film had been removed from his eyes. He saw his brother, terrified of him, shaking a little. Though his ears were still clogged with blood, he could hear a faint thumping sound that was no doubt, Sam's heart. The air was different, heavier. It was hard to breathe. He felt like he had fluid in his lungs still. Dean stared at his brother. He stared so long and hard enough that Sam took a step back. Then he saw Ruby. But he could see her true form, her true demon face. She was hideous. But Dean found that he also saw a certain beauty that had been missing the first time he ever saw her true form.

Dean turned around and saw Bella, with an even more terrifying beauty. "You." His voice was deeper. To Sam, it almost seemed like his voice was magnified to fill the whole room. Bella's smile faltered. A flicker of doubt crossed her features. Dean walked over to her, embraced her in his arms, and kissed her. Bella fell into it with him. He pulled back and hugged her intimately.

"Thank you," Dean whispered. "Thank you so much."

They pulled away from each other. Bella's front was covered with the blood from Dean's torso. Dean turned to Sam.

"Oh, I'm sorry where are my priorities?" Dean walked over to Sam with his arms open, but stopped when Sam raised his gun to his chest. "Whoa, easy there tiger."

"You're not my brother." Sam whispered, staring at Dean in terrified awe.

"Actually he is." Bella said coming up beside him. Dean wrapped an arm around her waist. "He's just a demon now."

Ruby called a command for the hell hound. The hell hound barked and charged at Dean. Dean stepped in front of Bella and shouted, "Kil!"

The hell hound skittered to a stop right before Dean. There was a whimper and a crunch of gravel as the hell hound got down and rolled over, exposing his stomach to Dean. Sam couldn't believe his eyes. The hell hound that had once dragged Dean to hell was now submitting to him! Dean whistled and pointed at the spot next to him. The hell hound got up and went to stand next to Dean. Dean smiled at Ruby and Sam.

"Sam," Ruby grabbed his arm. "We need to get out of here. Like, right now." She started dragging Sam away. Sam reluctantly let her drag him back to the car. The last thing he saw of his brother was him standing there, shirtless and covered in blood, a hand wrapped around Bella's waist, a hell hound standing obediently by his side. His eyes, red and black, gazing at Sam with a look between sorrow and anger.

Ruby and Sam raced out to the Impala, jumped inside and drove away. Ruby gasped. "Such power…"

"Ruby, what was that thing?" Sam asked, speeding down onto the highway.

"Sam, believe it or not, that really is your brother. And he just might be the most powerful demon I've ever met."

Sam couldn't believe it. The Impala sped off into the distance, as far away from…from that _thing_…as Sam was willing to push it.

* * *

A/N: Things are getting heated up. And you found this part a little confusing, just ask question. Read, review and enjoy!


	6. Power

Dean has been turned into a demon, Sam and Ruby fled the scene. What is Sam's Next plan, What is Dean's?

* * *

Sam sat in Bobby's living room. Bobby sat in his wheel chair, dumbfounded by what Sam had just told him, with the help of a few extra details added in by Ruby. Bobby didn't say anything, but just wheeled his chair over to his desk and pulled out a worn picture. Bobby traced a finger over the surface. He lowered his head so Sam couldn't see his eyes. But he did see the tear run down his cheek. Sam got up and went to stand in front of Bobby's desk. Bobby put the picture down on the desk, and Sam saw that it was a Polaroid picture of the three Winchesters. John had just barely any gray hair, and Sam could have been no older than 13. Which meant that Dean was probably 17. All of them looked so young. Sam contemplated the picture. John was dead. And under the circumstances, Dean too, was considered dead. The thought made Sam feel like he had cotton in his throat.

"I failed you, John." Bobby whispered. "I promised that I would keep your boys safe, protect them like I would my own. But now…"

"Bobby, stop." Sam clenched his fists. "We're going to get Dean back."

Bobby looked up at Sam. His eyes were getting red, not like how Dean's were, though, thank god. "Sam, there's no going back from this. Dean's gone."

Sam slammed his fists on the table. "No he's not! He's still in there somewhere! All the times I'd gone and done stupid or bad things to myself, he never gave up on me. I will never give up on him!"

"Sam," Ruby came up behind him. "Sam, you're brother most likely intends on destroying the world, leading the demons out of hell to battle heaven. He's got enough power, enough motivation, and enough followers to do it. Anybody who gets in his way will die."

"You said it yourself Ruby, that's still my brother, and if anybody knows my brother, it's me. And I know that he would never do something like that."

"Sam, how would you even get him to listen to you? He's a demon! Chances are he's probably going to either kill you on the spot, or make sure you stay damn well enough away from him." Bobby exclaimed.

"You're right, I probably can't go near him." Sam turned to Ruby. "But I bet one of his loyal followers can."

Ruby folded her arms. "You want me to spy on your brother? Who now has the potential to rip me into a bajillion pieces?"

"Yes, and you'll report back to us only when you know it's safe. In the meantime, Bobby and I will be finding a way to bring Dean back."

"I'll see what I can do." Ruby said after a while of silence. With that she walked out of the house.

"So, do you have any idea where we should start?" Bobby asked. Sam brightened a little, glad to have Bobby back on board.

"I want you to learn all you can about essence. While your doing that, I'm going to try to find Castiel." Sam didn't think it would be hard. Surely, the angels were pissed, and would have a few choice words to say.

* * *

Dean came out of the bathroom of the luxury suite hotel room that they had "rented" for the night. He was wearing an unbuttoned black shirt with red trim, as well as black jeans. He wore no shoes, and he really liked how no temperature really affected him.

"I can't seem to get the rest of the blood out of my lungs." Dean rubbed his neck. "I've practically thrown up my lungs trying to get the last bits out. And I still can't get my eyes to change back."

"Your too powerful to hide your true side. But practice makes perfect, dear. Besides, I like your eyes." Bella said.

Bella, who had changed bodies to a blonde, athletic musician, sat on the bed wearing a black lace nightgown. Her vessel had been one of the previous occupants of the room. Her husband lay in a bloody, unrecognizable heap on the floor, being devoured by Hendrix, which is what Dean decided to call his new pet. Dean picked up a meaty bone, probably the femur, and opened the balcony door. He waved the bone for the hell hound to see.

"Come on Hendrix! Go get it! Fetch!" Dean threw the bone out the window. The hell hound barked and chased after it. It didn't even bother to jump over the railing, but rather burst through it. Dean laughed. Bella smiled. Dean went to sit down next to her on the bed, kissing her.

"You sure you feel alright? I just want to make sure the process went as it should have." Bella asked.

Dean put a hand on his abdomen. "I can still feel the bit of me that rebels against what I've become. But even that part knows that I've been longing for this for a long time. I never told Sam that, because I know it would scare him. But now that I'm like this, I have an excuse." He looked up at Bella. "But even with that small part of me still there, I feel like an incomplete demon."

"Don't say that. Your more of a demon than most." Bella kissed him. "I know that it hurt after you got out of hell. So I brought hell to you."

Dean smiled. He fondly looked back at the time they had spent torturing souls together in hell. But it had been her choice to go their separate ways. She had said that they could cover more people this way.

"You won't leave me this time, right?" Dean said softly. Bella stared deep into his eyes. She let her eyes go completely black, so Dean would know she was telling the truth.

"No, I have no reason to." She kissed him, which eventually evolved into a full on make out session. They were really about to get into it when they heard padded paws and a snap. Dean looked up and saw Hendrix sitting there with the bone crushed in his jaw. Dean smiled. "Good boy."

Suddenly, the hell hound sprang onto the bed and on top of Dean. Dean was yelling at Hendrix to get off when a bolt of lightning burst through the ceiling and struck him. Hendrix yelped and rolled to the floor, tongue lolling out. Dean and Bella looked shocked. They heard a flap and turned to see a young man standing there. Dean got off the bed and went to Hendrix. He examined the hell hound, then looked up at the angel.

"You bastard! You killed Hendrix!" Dean shot to his feet. "You have no right to be here!"

"Neither do you!" The angel spat back. He drew a silver dagger that only belonged to archangels. Dean examined the knife with cold eyes.

"What's your name?"

"Marcus." The angel replied. Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I've never heard of you before."

"I don't suppose you would have." Marcus tensed. "But you will remember my name after this."

Dean lowered his head, shadowing his eyes. Bella grinned. A red glow started from Dean's eyes. When he looked back up, red symbols glowed in his eyes. They weren't the same from last time, when he was human. Then they had been a pentagram, something like a devils trap, only far more powerful. This time, they were a circle, with the loops and curves of the angel language. They angels saw the continuity as a metaphor for infinity. But just as the pentagram with the demon symbols could do harm to demons, so could infinity to angels.

Marcus was thrown against the wall. The overhead lights burst, sending little sparks of electricity. Probably an effect of angelic force clashing with demonic. The sparks sent shadows jumping around the room. Marcus struggled against Dean. With every spark, Dean could see shadows of the angels wings unfolding. Dean smiled, pulling the wings open even more with his new found power. When they were in their full black glory against the wall, Dean gave one wing a violent yank. Marcus cried out.

"Who sent you, the angels?" Dean asked in a dark voice that filled the whole room.

"Kill me, and you'll feel heavens fury!" Marcus grunted. Dean grinned. The other wing was given a hard tug, and the shadow of it bent in an unnatural way. Marcus screamed. Dean casually walked up to him. He put his hands on either side of his Marcus' head.

"I'm not going to kill you." Both wings were pulled. "I'm going to let you live. But just so you can tell the other angels, that if any of them get in my way," one wing broke off. "That heaven, will feel _my_ wrath." Then the other.

Marcus must been in too much pain to even scream. His face was pale, and his eyes were close to rolling back in his head. Dean stepped away, and Marcus fell to the floor. He shakily got to his hands and knees. He looked up at Dean with a mixture of fear and awe. He scrambled to his feet, and scrambled for the door, which thought he would never see an angel do. As soon as the flight-less angel was gone, Dean walked back over to where the hell hounds body lay on the floor.

Dean put is hands over the charred hole in the dog. There was a red flash and a sharp snap. Hendrix righted himself and reached up to lick Dean's face. But Dean was staring at the door, expecting more angels to come through, almost. Bella got up from the bed and went to stand behind him. Both of them knew that this was a very bad thing.

* * *

A/N: All who are now scared shitless of Dean, comment and tell me so. I know I am. Read, respond, and Enjoy!


	7. Essence

The angels are after Dean, and Sam is putting together a game plan. How will things come together?

* * *

Ruby was getting very, very frustrated. _Where the hell is Dean?_ Usually, demons leave behind trials of sulfur if they're careless. She knew that was usually how Sam and Dean had found them back in the old days. But with demon senses, there was always this smell. It never settled, and it never blew away, and it always stank of the fiery pits of hell. She was pretty sure she smelled the same. No dog could pick it up, and the only hell hound that could was now a loyal servant to Dean. Finding Dean wouldn't have been a problem, except as she tracked and traced, trying to find him, she smelled _nothing_. She saw _nothing_. It was as if Dean had vanished off the face of the Earth. Ruby almost considered searching hell, but no demon, no matter how powerful, wants to go back there.

In short, her search was coming out futile. She kicked a small stone to vent some of her anger.

"Ruby."

She spun around. It was very seldom that people sneak up on her. Startled, she faced her encounter. Dean stood next to Bella, and a soft growl on his other side told her that he still had the hell hound. He was wearing a dark red button up shirt that had a few tears in it and tattered jeans. Bella was wearing a blue blouse that had a blood stain on the side.

"Looks like you've been fighting a couple angels." Ruby said, her voice low but steady.

"We need to talk." Dean said, his glance was piercing and unwavering.

"Yes, we do." Ruby gulped. She hadn't really given much thought into what she was going to say to convince him to let her join him. "Dean, I-"

"You're coming with me, whether you like it or not. I need a recruiter." Dean's voice was hard, and Bella gave him a glance. Ruby had no idea it was going to be that easy. "But first, you're going to bring me my brother. I have a message for him."

"Yes, of course. I'll do it." Ruby let her voice shake a little, trying to get off the impression that she was scared of him. Which she was, at the moment.

"Come here." Ruby walked over to Dean, and he placed a hand on her head. She gasped as a sharp pain went through her head. Dean took his hand off. "There, I left it inscribed on your brain. It'll disappear once you've told him. Now go."

Ruby was about to be a skeptic, and ask "why couldn't you just tell me?" all snarky like. But she didn't want to end up with no brain at all, so she left.

As soon as she was gone, Dean took a couple steps forward, his brow was furrowed and his hand was on his chin, in deep thought. Bella watched him. More angels had confronted them, all significantly more powerful than Marcus, who they were very upset about. Bella knew that once she had turned Dean, heaven's strongest would rain down on them. After all, she had just turned the person that would help Michael save the world into his greatest enemy. But granted how strong his essence was, she knew he could take them no sweat. But still, they needed more demons. They needed an army.

Already, in the five places they had been, demons had submitted to Dean, sworn their loyalty and been dismissed to spread the word. For all Bella knew, demons from around the country were probably assembling and trying to find them. But Dean insisted on concealing his scent, and making Bella do likewise. She didn't know what Dean was thinking, and she wanted to know, but she didn't ask. Dean's power was growing, getting used to his body and changing it. Bella could see a redness on the back of his neck creeping up from his back. A transformation had been plausible, but Bella had not counted on it.

"So what's the next step, love?" Bella asked coming up behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at her, then looked up.

"We need to find a secure place, where we can be safe. Then, you'll take charge of everything for a while, while I find somewhere to finish…" Dean looked at his hand. There was a zigzagged line across his palm, and a pulsing ache. Dean could feel the sheer terror of the little bit of him that was still human. That little bit was still fighting, still struggling against what he had become. But even know, he could feel it give up a little. And the more it stopped struggling, the faster the transformation was going to go.

He turned to Bella and Hendrix. Both of them were watching expectantly. He smiled at them.

"Things are coming together."

* * *

Sam had been trying to get a hold of Castiel or any other angel ever since Ruby left. But it turned out to be a lot harder than it looked. It was the angels that went looking for you, not the other way around. Sam was just about to get in the car and drive to…somewhere, anywhere, when Ruby walked back in the door. She looked a little winded, like she had run the whole way back.

"Ruby? You were only gone for two hours!" Sam exclaimed.

"Apparently two hours was all I needed." She gasped.

"So you found him? Why aren't you with him?"

"It was more the other way around, and he sent me back to give you a message. I can only tell you once so listen carefully."

Sam clenched his jaw. What kind of message would Dean have for him? A cry for help? A warning to stay away? Or maybe a call for compromise. Sam didn't know. He nodded, letting Ruby continue. Her eyes went distant, and her voice was monotone, like she was reciting it.

"We need to meet, and I need to talk to you. I don't care if you come by yourself or with Bobby, just please come. Do not bring any angels. Especially Castiel. All I want to do is talk. There's an old plant just outside of town, we'll meet there at six tomorrow. Please Sam, I need you."

Ruby's eyes cleared and her face paled as if from pain. Sam saw her knees shaking and lead her over to a couch in the living room, where Bobby was buried in books again. He looked up to see Sam and Ruby walking in. He wheeled over to them and asked what happened. Sam told him to get a glass of water, but Ruby stopped him.

"I can't stay. I was supposed to join him again after I told you." Ruby blinked. "I don't even remember what I said. He's being very cautious."

"How was he Ruby?" Sam almost dreaded the answer, because he knew it was bad. His brother was a demon, for crying out loud! But that didn't keep Sammy from worrying about him.

"He's great actually, for a demon with all of heaven trailing his ass. His power is enormous. I don't know how his body can contain it." Ruby looked up at Sam. "He's changing, Sam. Physically and mentally. And I'm sorry, I don't think you alone can stop him."

Sam stood up and walked over to the window, gazing out with an unseeing stare. Had the time finally come when they were in too deep? Was there a way out? Sam clenched his fist. There had to be a way. Of all the times Sam had gone and done stupid things, Dean had never given up on him. Sam turned.

"I'll find a way to stop him, what ever his plan is. You should get back to him. Try to find out what you can."

Ruby nodded. She glanced at Bobby, then got up and walked out the door. Sam and Bobby watched her leave. Bobby looked at Sam. "How you holding up, son?"

Sam sighed. "Fine. I just…never mind. What did you learn about essence?"

Bobby slammed a thick book onto his desk.

"Essence is powerful, it basically what makes something what it is. It gives it its nature, it's personality, hell, it gives it its identity. There are two different kinds of essence: there's sensible essence, which is always in a state of flux, per say. And then there's eternal, which is more stable and complete. There's some of both in everything. Sensible essence isn't really important, but eternal," Bobby opened the book to an ancient Buddhist drawing depicting a man surrounded by an outer blue flame and a small ball of red flame inside his torso. Bobby laid a finger on the red flame. "This stuff is what will get you 3G for a drop on the supernatural black market. You can't put hefty seals on it, and you can't make permanent changes to it. Now, you can mess it around some, turn it inside out and backwards, but it is never guaranteed to stay that way."

A small flicker of hope sparked in Sam. "So then Dean's essence should change back to human sooner or later, right?"

Bobby sighed. "Not really, this is the frustrating part. There's really only one thing that can influence eternal essence, and that's changes in three things: soul, mind, and will."

"So changes like that happened in Dean?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Well, his soul was sent to hell, where it got tortured. And I'm pretty sure his mind won't ever be the same again after that."

"And what about will?"

Bobby thought for a moment. "He did say that he willingly got off the rack and started torturing souls."

Sam sighed. He doubted even Dean had known it was that bad. Sam couldn't even imagine…forty years.

"So, I'm thinking, with changes like that, it could be enough to change his essence, ever so slightly." Bobby held up his fingers a tiny space apart. "And then you throw in that bitch, Bella, whose essence is fully demon, I guess, and you get one big mess to clean up."

"So there is a way? To change him back?" Sam looked up from staring at the floor.

Bobby sighed again. He looked very tired. "If there is a way, which I'm pretty sure there is, it's going to be one hell of a rodeo."

Sam sat back and sighed heavily. A small sense of relief loosened the tension in his chest.

"Alright. Step one completed. Now we need to figure out how we can change him back." Sam stood up, zipping up his jacket. "Bobby, see what you can on that please."

"Where are you going?" Bobby looked up at him. Sam stared at Bobby, but Bobby realized that Sam wasn't actually looking at him. He was seeing way off into the distance, where his brother waited for him. Sam's eyes were filled with longing and determination.

"I have a meeting with my brother."

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry! First I was diving in Cozumel for a week, then I come back and post this shit-tastic chapter. I suck at slow parts! Next one will be more exciting I promise. Again, if you have any questions, please ask, I don't mind. Read, review, and enjoy!


	8. Meeting

Sam goes to meet Dean, who claims he just want's to talk. What will happen in this backwards twist of fate they have been set on?

* * *

The plant couldn't have been that old. Maybe like twenty or thirty years abandoned. Dust hadn't completely over run the place, and the windows were still slightly clean. But the interior was completely empty, and a family of rats had made a home in the north wall. And thankfully the lights still worked when Sam flipped them on.

Sam had arrived early, at 6:30. With time to spare, he wondered around the plant, marking the exit door through the main office, the overhanging catwalk that overlooked the main work area, and any other things that Sam thought would be relevant. He had decided it would be best if Bobby stayed at home so Sam could have someone to contact incase things got messy. But that fact that he didn't have any back up with him did put Sam on edge.

"So you really did come alone." A voice said above him.

Sam spun and saw Dean leaning over the catwalk rail looking down at him. He was wearing a plain maroon button-up shirt with the first two buttons loose. He also sported black denim jeans and no shoes. Sam swallowed.

"Of course, you said you just wanted to talk." Sam watched Dean walk along the catwalk, down the spiral stairs and up to him. Upon closer quarters, Sam saw a red, rash-like condition on his skin. It covered the left side of his neck, looped under his chin, up his right cheek and across his eye to the middle of his nose. The rash had a zigzagged pattern to it, and it looked painful. But Sam was just glad that he didn't have his demon eyes turned on.

"I hope you don't hate me, Sam." Dean said, giving Sam a sad look. "The part of me that's still human does. But demon or not, you're still my brother, which means I still gotta look out for you. I hope you'll forgive me."

Any other demon, Sam would have scoffed and made a flouting comment. But this was a demon with his brothers face.

"I want you to come with me, Sam. Follow me, like so many other demons are doing. We can still be brothers. And this time, we can come out on top."

"On top of what, Dean? What do you intend to do? Create a demon horde and claim the world?" Sam's tone was bold, but just behind it was a little shake. Dean smiled.

"I'm not on the hells side anymore than I was on heavens side." Dean said with a sudden disdain. "My feelings for demons and angels haven't changed. I can tell you that much."

"Really? Does Bella know that?" Sam snapped.

"Bella, is an exception. And so is Hendrix." Dean saw the questioning look. "That's the dog. Anyway, we can be together, Sam. And live a life ten times better than what you're living now. Hell, couple days ago, I spent the night with Bella in a luxury sweet, you know with the separate bedroom and the little candies on the pillow?"

"Yeah Dean, sounds great. Who'd you have to kill to get in?" Sam felt an anger rising in him. "You're a demon, I'm a hunter. I shouldn't even be in the same room with you without a gun pointed between your eyes."

"There's a way to fix that. Level the playing field. You can be just as powerful as me, Sam. And it's not even that hard."

"Oh yeah?" Sam scoffed. "And what way is that?" Dean's look deepened.

"Say yes to Lucifer. With my help, it'll be more like you possessing him than the other way around. You can have all his powers, and be by my side, as an equal. Just say that one little word then leave the rest to me."

Sam couldn't believe his ears. Never, in his whole life, had he expected those words to come out of Dean's mouth. "What makes you think I'm going to agree with this? You have nothing that I care about."

"On the contrary, I have the one thing you care most about." Dean said, putting a hand on his torso. "I've got you're brother. The side of him you know? He's still in here. And I've discovered that I can trade places with him, sort of like a demented Jekyl and Hyde. I can let you talk to him, if you want. But I will always have the power to switch back if anything either of you say gets out of line."

Sam was definitely shaking now. Talk to Dean? The _real_ Dean? Maybe he could help. "Yes. I want to talk to him."

Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head back. A couple seconds passed and nothing happened. Then his eyes snapped open and he stumbled to his knees, gasping and shaking. Sam rushed over to him. Dean looked up at him and he could tell by his eyes that it really was Dean.

"Sam! He's waiting…my body…I've seen what he…I…we plan to do. It's horrible. I'm so sorry, Sam!" Dean grabbed at his brother, sheer panic in his eyes. "You have to stop me, Sam. Get the angels, tell them to kill me!"

"Dean, just hang on, ok? I'm going to help you. I'll find a way. Bobby's working on it right now. I'm going to save you Dean." Sam had never seen his brother so scared, and Dean was not an easy person to scare. Sam could see the hatred and self-loathing behind his eyes. He was still fighting it, even now.

"Sam, I'm changing. My body, it's-" Dean cut himself off with a loud cry. He leaned forward and dry-heaved for a couple seconds, and Sam could only watch in terrified agony. "He doesn't like that. Sam, this is bigger than anything we've ever faced so far. Don't care about me, just make sure that you kill what I've become."

Sam felt like on the verge of tears. He grabbed his brothers shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.

"I will save, you. By any means necessary, I'm going to set you free. Mark my words Dean, I will set you free."

Dean blinked and his eyes were black and red. Sam dropped him to the ground with an "oof" and back pedaled away. Dean sat up on his elbows.

"That wasn't very nice."

Sam glared at Dean as he got up and brushed himself off. He stared at his brother with a newfound hatred.

"If you join me, Sam, you'll be able to talk to him on a regular basis, and it will be much less painful." Dean looked up at Sam. "I don't expect you to agree now. But the offer is open and lasting. Sam, sooner or later you'll come to realize that you can't stop me. So will he, the other Dean. When that time comes, all that's gonna matter to you is being with you're brother. Because everyone else will be dead."

"I don't even know what I'm trying to stop you from. You say you're not on heaven or hells side, then what are you after." Sam narrowed his eyes.

"I am a new breed of demon, Sam. Stronger than angels and demons combined, with the stubbornness and brutality of a human. Stuck between hell and Earth, I have the power to do anything I want. Raise an army, take over the world, and rule it with an iron fist. But that's not what I want to do.

"Then what, Dean?" Sam screamed. "If not world domination, then what?"

"Global destruction."

Dean said it with such a straight, serious face, Sam felt his breathe hitch in his chest.

"I've decided that this planet we live on is a very troublesome thing. Everybody's vying for control. Angel's, demon's, they both want to take over. Lucifer and Michael, they both want to be top dog. Even god doesn't give a damn anymore. So I figured, why not get rid of it? Can't have a war without a battlefield. Maybe if there wasn't a neutral zone, then the demons would stay in hell, and the angels would stay in heaven. Then maybe, after a while, start over. Take the earth and start again. But this time, I will be the god."

Sam wasn't shaking anymore, much less breathing. He stared at his brother. Stared at the thing that his brother had become. For some reason, Sam just couldn't wrap his head around the idea, even when it rang loud and clear in his head.

_His brother was going to destroy the world._

"Sam, how many people know about our meeting?" Dean wore a frown.

"Just Bobby and I." Sam's voice was barely a whisper.

"You're lying." Dean said. Sam realized that he was staring at something behind him. He spun around. Standing there with his legs apart, was Castiel.

"Castiel." Sam breathed. It felt relieving having the angel there, but at the same time Sam knew he was going to be caught in a crossfire. "How did you know?"

"I've been keeping close tabs on you, for protection. I was listening in on you when Ruby delivered the message."

"I take it you also heard this whole conversation?" Dean said with a smirk. He shook his head, a chuckle escaping his mouth. "And the whole garrison you brought with you outside?"

Castiel lowered is head, keeping his eyes on Dean. "Sam, you should leave."

Sam's mind was reeling. "Wait, are you gonna kill him?"

"You heard his plans, Sam. He has to be stopped."

"No, there has to be another way!"

"Not one that can be used right now." Castiel drew his glinting silver spike. Dean eyed it warily. There was a flap sound and Dean was sent spinning in the air. He landed on his chest, sending little bits of dirt flying. He glared up at Castiel, who had appeared on the catwalk, a safe distance away from Dean. His eyes had turned black and red again.

"You think you're the only one with wings here, Cas?" Dean shouted. Dean stood up, his arms braced at his sides.

A light exploded overhead, and then another. More lights broke, and sparks from their still living fuses rained down and Sam, Dean and Castiel. Sam stared at Dean. He was shaking visibly. His shadow flickered behind him on the floor. Castiel had a confused look on his face. Both he and Sam watched Dean's shadow as one, enormous bat-like wing unfolded from Dean's left shoulder, and then another equally giant, from his right. Dean growled, and there was a flapping sound. He appeared right next to Castiel on the catwalk, and delivered at backhanded slap that sent Castiel over the railing and down to the floor. Sam ran over to help him up, the very slightest stream of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Sam and Castiel stared in awe up at Dean, still on the catwalk. His shadow now against the wall, the broken light bulbs still sparking. From the angle Sam and Castiel were at, it was as if the shadows of his wings were coming from him. Dean spread them again, in all their dark, demonic glory. Each finger of his wings stretched to the floor, and the wingspan filled the entire, 80 foot long wall. The membrane in between cast a lighter shadow, defining the fine bone structure even more.

Dean looked down at them, stared directly into their eyes with his red and black demonic ones. Sam felt a terror in him that he knew only his brother could make him feel. His brother was a monster, a demon. As of late, it had been the other way around, what with Sam drinking the demon blood, and killing Alistair with his powers. He knew the look Dean would give him, the look he would give a shape-shifter or a witch. But maybe, deep down inside, he was scared, just like Sam was now. But Dean had never let that fear show, he never let Sam know that he was scared of what Sam was becoming or of what he had become.

Sam could see it now. Thinking back to the hotel room fight, when Dean had said; _"If I didn't know you…I would want to hunt you."_ Now he saw the fear, the terrified, caring older brother that could just stand there and watch as his brother turned into a monster. Now he knew how Dean had felt, the terrible feeling of not being able to control it, and that you're only family member was slipping through you're fingers. Now he knew.

How could he have been so selfish?

* * *

A/N: Ok, so this story has been up for like, what? A couple months? Maybe less? And it's already got over A THOUSAND views! But the thing is, there have only been three reviews, and favorited like, four times, and gone onto peoples alert list four times, too. Come on people! I need to hear your compliments, complaints, suggestions, anything! I like it when people say stuff, be it good or bad, really! Favoriting it just adds the sprinkles to the ice cream.

Other than that, reeeeaaallly long chapter. I get excited and type faster during fight or action scenes. But then, when it gets to things slowing down and everybodies making plans, I get brain dead. That's the main cause of the un-fluency. But next chapter is another fight. Sad thing is that I'm leaving again, so hold tight. Otherwise, read, review, and enjoy!


	9. Orifice

Castiel drops in on Sam and Dean's meeting, and a very shocking fact is revealed. How will this sparse end?

* * *

Dean had wings. That was the only message blaring like a bright neon sign in Sam's head. Almost as loud and in his face as the humongous shadow of them spread over the wall of the plant. The great wings shuddered and then they were gone, along with Dean. Sam spun around and saw Dean standing next to Castiel before Castiel even saw him there. Dean threw a punch, but Castiel was gone, on the other side of Sam now. Castiel flapped his wings again, and this time Dean was right behind him. Fifteen meters away from Sam, Castiel came crashing down to the floor, with Dean's bare feet planted squarely in his back. Castiel groaned, his eyes seemed faraway, trying to out run the pain that was no doubt racking his body. Dean looked at Sam. His eyes were black and red.

"Sam, listen to me." Dean spoke in a hurry. "These angels don't want to help you, they didn't want to help me. They only care about getting the upper hand in the apocalypse. They stopped caring about humans a long time ago." Dean stepped off of Castiel, leaving behind foot prints that didn't seem to look human.

"But I'm giving you the chance to be on the winning side, and lay down the worries and burdens that you and I have carried all these years."

Sam took a step back. "If you can say that, then you really aren't my brother. He would never give in to a side. He and I both knew there was no winning side!" The words made Sam feel a little better. A little.

"Well put, Sam." Castiel grabbed Dean's shoulder and gripped tight. Dean twisted out of his grasp, the sound of tearing fabric and ripping seams along with a single wing flap, and Dean was on the other side of Sam, placing him between Dean and Castiel. Dean's shirt dangled from Castiel's fist. Dean quickly placed and arm in front of his torso and turned to the side, concealing something. Sam could see the zigzagged rash had far exceeded just Dean's face. It looped under his armpits and in different sections across his ribs. Sam could see where the line continued past the waistline of his pants.

"Castiel, you bastard." Dean growl. Heaven, Earth, and Hell stood there for a few seconds glaring at each other.

There was a sudden pounding on the roof. It sounded like someone was taking a boulder and dropping it on the roof. The separate sheets of roofing waved and flapped, as if from a very strong wind. The screech of metal, and suddenly there was a gaping hole in the roof. A second one appeared not too far behind it. There was a sound like a flurry of wings. Sam blinked and suddenly they were all surrounded by people, These people didn't seem to have anything in common, they were of all races and ethnicity. But they all shared the same intense, emotionless expression that Sam would see on Castiel.

"Look closely, Dean. You too, Sam." Castiel said, dropping Dean's shirt on the floor. "This may be the only time you will ever see an entire angel garrison."

Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of flapping. Sam could see the flurry or wings and bodies swirling around Dean. No matter how many times he tried to fly away, Dean always ended up getting smacked back into the middle. The angels were assaulting him. Sam could see Dean's body whipping this way and that and his face twisting him pain. His head snapped back and forth and soon blood was flying from his lips.

Dean was beaten down on his knees. His head was bowed and the angels continued to assault him. Red bruising was already beginning to show on his back and chest. The air around Dean crackled with red sparks. A very dark feeling filled the air, chilling Sam and raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

Throwing his arms wide and releasing a deep-throated bellow, a red blast emanated from Dean and knocked all the angels away, sending them crashing into the walls and ceiling. Sam blocked his face as angels flew past him, bracing himself as the red shock-wave passed through him. Some of them recovered, standing in place for a while catching their breath. Most of them didn't get back up. Sam looked at Dean and saw him standing there shirtless and battered, looking like he had lost a fight with a bulldozer. Pain twisted on his cut up face. But it didn't seem like pain from the beating he had just received. Dean's breathing got heavier and he grunted from a pain that was growing inside him.

"Behold, Sam." Castiel was standing right next to him. "Behold the true form of a demon."

Dean shut his eyes tight, and his hands hovered over his right side, but didn't touch the skin. Sam could see a that zigzagged line from his rash passed right over his ribs, just below his pectoral. Blood was rushing to the area. The line turned into a scar, and blood started streaming down Dean's side. Sam saw Dean's eyes flicker from red to green. The scar dug deeper, as if someone invisible was carving through the skin relentlessly. The skin started to separate, and instead of revealing pink bone, Sam saw black spikes through all the blood.

Dean's hands were hovering over the wound, like he was trying to cover it up, yet he was also afraid to touch it. The wound suddenly burst open, and the black spikes separated out into what looked like teeth. A large red tongue lolled out, licking up the blood around the wound. A scream escaped Dean's mouth, but it also seemed to come from the mouth on his side. The mouth had no lips, but the skin on the top and bottom acted like so. The back of the mouth couldn't be seen, disappearing into the depths of Dean's body.

The mouth opened up and a hungry, high pitched cry rang out solely from that mouth. Dean straightened up, hiding the obvious pain in his face poorly. The mouth right over his ribs snapped a few times and then hung slightly open, as if the large black, pointed teeth prohibited it from closing completely. Dean had a look of pure hatred on his face, directed exactly at Castiel.

Sam was dumbfounded. It was as if after all the bad things he had seen happen to his brother, this was the worst, and his mind couldn't take it. Sam could feel himself shutting down, and for a second, he thought he was going to faint. Sam steeled himself and lowered his eyes to Dean's feet. He couldn't will himself to look at his brother, if, in fact, that's what he still was.

"You can't stop me, Castiel. You or you angel family. It's your fault I'm like this in the first place." The venom in Dean's voice was magnified by the power he was pouring out. "The world will start over, and this time, there won't be any hunters. Because there will be nothing left to hunt."

A whirl wind of dust and debris, and then Dean was gone. Sam, Castiel, and a whole garrison of injured angels stood alone and silent in the plant. Castiel suddenly started breathing shaky breaths, like keeping up his angel warrior bravado in front of Dean had taken a lot of energy. Other angels seemed to be reacting the same way. Was Dean really so powerful the he could make even angels breakdown in fright? All the angels tilted their heads skyward.

_"God help us all."_ Their voices rang out as one.

* * *

Dean flew back to the regular hotel room in Colorado, where he had told Bella to wait with Hendrix, in a matter of seconds. When he appeared in the room without a shirt and bruises all over, Bella shot to her feet.

"What happened?" She exclaimed. Dean finally felt the fatigue start to wash over him, and he stumbled into her arms. She caught him and dragged him over to the bed. When he flopped down onto the mattress and groaned, Bella saw the mouth on his ribs and stared. Dean looked up when she fell silent and saw her staring at his knew feature. He immediately felt embarrassed and laid an arm over it.

"It was bound to happen. There's going to be more." Dean hurried to explain himself. Bella laid a finger on his lips, and Dean was shocked to see that her eyes were filled with a fiery lust, instead of fear and disgust, like she expected.

Bella didn't even say a word, but leaned in and planted a good one on Dean. When she pulled away, both of them knew that there was no stopping once it got started.

"I don't understand..." Dean said, with a confused, worried look on his face.

"I told I wouldn't leave you, remember?" Bella kissed him again, and it might have actually been a beautiful sight, a match made in Hell. Literally.

"I missed you. And I find this to be a major turn on." She gently placed fingers on the mouth, and the tongue sneaked out a little to get a quick taste of her skin. She shivered with pleasure, and opened her eyes to see Dean smiling wickedly.

They started, kissing lightly at first, Dean's other mouth hanging open, maybe hoping to get some, too. But suddenly Dean pushed Bella back gently. He gazed up at her and his eyes were pleading.

"You need to help me." Dean said grasping her arms. "I need to find the right place to complete the transformation. Then, after, everything will begin. It needs to be a place where the energy of the earth is strongest."

Bella smiled. "I know exactly the place. But if this is the last night of you being normal, let's try to enjoy ourselves."

Dean sank back with a satisfied sigh. Everything was going to be alright. Very soon, he would jump start his own apocalypse. But for now, he would _sink into the fiery throws of demonic passion_ with Bella.

* * *

A/N: Eeeeewwwww... well everything will be set straight sooner or later...maybe;) Basing the demon form off of this .com/art/Birth-of-a-Demon-166238087

But, you know, with my imagination, it'll probably be a little uglier. Please! read, review, and enjoy!


	10. Vortex

Sam comes back from the fight, and is more shaken up. What's the next move?

* * *

When Sam came back from his meeting with Dean, he was in the deepest state of shock Bobby had ever seen. It wasn't even funny! He came screeching into the junk lot like hell hounds were after him, then stumbling through the front door like a frightened drunk man. He was clutching something made out of a maroon fabric. Upon closer expecting, Bobby saw that it was a regular button up shirt. It was torn, which raised a few questions in Bobby's head, but why was Sam clinging onto it so tightly?

"Sam, calm down. You gotta tell me what happened, son." Bobby grabbed a hold of Sam's shirt and tried to keep the man from collapsing, which is especially hard when you're in a wheel chair. Sam was breathing hard, and his eyes were far away. It was as if he was still back at that plant, cowering from whatever horrible thing he had seen.

Bobby snapped his fingers in front of Sam's eyes. "Hey! Kid! Snap out of it. Who's shirt is that?" Though Bobby probably could guess.

"D…Dean…he…wings and a mouth…" Sam looked down at Bobby like he just realized where exactly he was and who he was with. "Bobby, Dean's changing! His true demon form is eating away at his body and turning him into something horrible. He wants me to join him, help him destroy the world. The other Dean… the real Dean is still in there! He's fighting back the demon essence, and he's still in there."

Bobby lead Sam over to the overstuffed easy chair in his living room. Sam sat down and was still going on about his meeting with Dean, but a little more clear now.

"He's going to destroy the world, start it over and play god. He told me I could join him, be by his side as an equal by saying yes to Lucifer, and then I would get all his powers. I don't know how he's going to do it, but the angels are so concerned that they showed up and tried to kill him. Then he…Bobby, Dean has wings!" Sam saw the skeptical look on Bobby's face.

"I'm not kidding! They're huge! Bigger then an angel's wings! They looked like something straight from Van Helsing! And then Castiel and him fought, flying through the air faster than I could keep track of. Dean was more powerful than him, more powerful then the whole angel garrison that showed up! He beat them all. I don't know if he killed them, but…then the mouth. This mouth showed up on his chest, and it was the most terrifying thing I have ever seen! He's so powerful Bobby, I don't know how we are going to stop him."

Bobby's mouth was hanging open in dumbfounded terror. Sam stared at Bobby, waiting for him to respond. A few seconds went by with them just sitting there, both of them just taking in the immense gravity of what exactly was going on. Bobby sat back in his wheel chair.

"You said you talked to the real, Dean." Bobby said, his gaze distant. "Did he have anything useful to say?"

Sam recalled the short conversation, and the immense pain his real brother was in. He almost felt tears to his eyes. "Not really. He was basically…begging to die."

Bobby nodded. Dean was more like his father than he gave himself credit for. Winchesters had a habit of going to any lengths whatsoever to kill a demon. Even if that meant trapping the thing in their own bodies and killing themselves. But that was mainly last resort.

"So you don't know where he's gone." Bobby looked up to see Sam shaking his head.

"I think we have a pretty good idea." Bobby and Sam looked to see Castiel standing in the middle of the living room. He had his composure back. After Sam had seen him and the other angels break down after Dean disappeared, Sam bolted out of there as fast as he could. They had all just been standing where they were without moving or saying a word. They had retreated back into themselves, making like statues.

Now Castiel seemed more confident and his blue eyes shined with a certain readiness. "He's needs a vortex, points on Earth where energy gathers into one and creates hotspots of enormous power. They can't be seen, and they are very hard to find."

"Castiel, how do you know this? Why would he do that?" Sam said quietly.

"It is required that we learn as much as we can about demon culture and incantations. It's how we figure out how to kill them. As for your other question, he's changing, which means he's at his weakest. You saw his eyes right, when his mouth appeared?" Sam thought back, about how his eyes flickered back and forth between red and green. "His power his fading, but when his true form is completely revealed, he will be unstoppable."

"So do you know where these vortexes are?" Bobby asked.

"No, even with my resources, it would take weeks when we only have days."

"So then how are we going to find him?" Sam said sitting forward and clasping his hands in front of him.

"I think I can help." Castiel said. Bobby and Sam sat there waiting for him to continue. He said nothing.

"Castiel, how?"

"Oh, well, since his new feature is o his ribs, it breaks the seals that I put there, so he is no longer hidden. I can track him where ever he is."

Sam shot to his feet. "Where is he? We have to find him!"

He's north of here, in that state with all the mountains and snow." Castiel seemed a little distant.

"You mean Colorado?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's a vortex in Colorado?"

"If you think about it, it kinda makes sense." Bobby put in. "I mean, Colorado is second highest in earth radiation."

Sam nodded his head.

"I must go, gather the angels and prepare for battle-" Castiel turned.

Sam grabbed his shoulder. "Hang on Cas, you're not going to assemble all the armies of heaven to go and bomb my brother. He's still my brother, I'm not going to let you annihilate him."

"How true. Which is why now we have a plan." Everybody turned to see a squat balding man in a dark gray suit.

"Zechariah." Sam clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. He couldn't have hated anyone, or any_thing_ as much as he did the man in front of him. "You're the one that started this whole thing, and _now_ you have a plan?"

"Whoa, calm down Sam. You're so much like your brother."

"Yeah, and now my brother is a demon because of you!" Sam yelled. He ran up to Zechariah and pinned him to the wall with his forearms. "And if you don't tell me what your so called plan, the very embodiment of my brothers anger will tear you apart!"

"Trust me, it's a surefire plan that will be successful." Zechariah said with a grin.

"Why don't I believe you." Sam asked rhetorically.

"If you'll just cooperate, then I guarantee, your brother will be exactly the way he was."

Sam let Zechariah down. He straightened his suit and tilted his chin up. "Whether he's a demon or an angel, his body is the vessel of heaven. Highest standard in the book." Zechariahs voice was even, which annoyed Sam.

"But I was told that a reverse process was nearly impossible."

"That's right, Sam. _Nearly _impossible. Not completely. Were taking the most difficult measures, because that's how much we care about you're brother.

Sam's disdain clearly showed on his face. And when that smirk spread over Zechariah's face, Sam felt like spitting in it.

"Castiel and I have to go." Zechariah said looking at his angel counterpart. "Your brother is five miles outside of the Denver International Airport. He's already in his state of incubation. Get there as fast as you can."

With that, both angels disappeared with wing flaps. Sam looked at Bobby.

"Well, looks like I'm headed to Colorado." Sam stood there. He headed for the door after Bobby said nothing.

"Sam." Sam turned and Bobby wheeled closer. "Be careful."

Sam, looked at the man. Both of them had been through so much together. All three of them had. Near death situations, overwhelming odds, even one or two rare threesome moments. Now one was gone. But for the first time, there was the real hope of him coming back. Sam nodded and headed out the door.

* * *

It took a couple of days to drive to Colorado, but finally, Sam was gunning the Impala down the four lane highway toward DIA. There were lots of cars, and Sam felt a strange exposure, having driven mostly on America's back roads. Sam saw something coming up on his right, and slowed down, thinking it was highway patrol. But as it came closer, Sam saw that it was a man with dark hair in a trench coat. Castiel watched as Sam sped by. Sam began to look for turn offs where he could head back. But Castiel appeared in the seat next to him.

"Keep heading straight ahead. There will be a dirt access road a little while from now." Castiel directed. He kept his eyes straight ahead. Sam didn't speak.

As Castiel said, there was a small dirt road that lead away from the airport and the highway. Sam had to slow down drastically so he wouldn't send the car into a tail spin. The road was bumpy, eaten up by the elements. It hadn't been used in a long time. Sam soon found himself in the middle of flatlands of Colorado, the mountains touching the sky in the distance.

"Stop the car, I'll take you the rest of the way."

Sam stopped and put the Impala in park. Castiel laid a hand on Sam's shoulder and the next moment, Sam was standing in a large cleared out area. All the wheat stalks were flattened to the Earth in a fifteen meter radius. In the very center of the circle was a black scar on the ground. All the life had been completely burned away and the ground underneath was scorched. It was at least eight feet wide.

"Your brother is down there." Castiel said. "Can you feel the vortex, Sam?"

Sam did feel a strange thickness in the air, and his skin was tingling slightly.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Interesting. Come with me." Cas touched Sam, and everything went dark. Sam waited for his eyes to adjust. There was a small red glow in a tunnel in front of Sam. Castiel started walking towards it first, and Sam followed closely behind. The red glow opened up into a large chamber, and the source of light seemed to be coming from the very walls itself. In the center of the large chamber, floating three feet of the ground, was what looked like a fleshy, round, egg.

Sam and Castiel approached the strange sphere. Sam could feel heat radiating off of it, and could see movement underneath. The air was thick with power, and Sam thought he could see little twitches of movement underneath. There were tiny abrasions all over it.

"Is that…Is my brother in there?" Sam gulped.

"Yes, he is completing his transformation."

"So then what do we do?" Sam looked at Castiel quizzically.

"My orders are to do nothing."

Sam was shocked. "What?, just stand by and wait for him to finish?"

"It's all part of the plan."

Sam sneered. He was tired of being kept in the dark by these angels. Sam found a rock on the floor and picked it up. With all his might, he hurled the rock at the egg. Not two seconds later, there was a deep rumble coming from the earth. The ground started shaking, and the giant egg moved. An enormous clawed hand broke through the thin shell, a mouth with a lolling tongue and black teeth spread across the palm. It grabbed a hold of the ground and a major portion of the shell broke away, revealing an enormous bat wing that spread out and filled half of the cavern.

"He's done. Let's go." Castiel grabbed Sam, and they were back on the surface. The ground wasn't shaking as violently, but the sky had clouded over, casting everything in gray shadow. Angels were starting to appear, and someone must have handed him an angel knife, because when he looked down, he was holding one.

"Brace yourself, Sam Winchester. You will not like what you see." Castiel said sternly, legs already apart in his battle pose.

The only thing Sam seemed to feel was an emotionless blank, probably from the rush of adrenaline pumping his heart out. He set the knife in front of him like his father had taught him to long ago, and prepared for the fight of his life when the first hand tore up from the ground, and began dragging the rest of the hulking figure, of the demon, of Dean, out of the ground.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the terrible cliffy, and sorry for the long wait! I was in New Mexico on a mission trip building houses for the Navajo reservation. Big fight coming up. I'll try to post as soon as I can. In the mean time, read, review, and enjoy!


	11. Purified

Dean's true form is revealed, and the battle begins to save the world from his darkness.

* * *

It was like watching a scene from a horror film. The ones with zombies, that drag themselves back to the surface to do their evil masters bidding. Sam was the hero of the story that was supposed to slay the zombie hoard and save the world from a zombie apocalypse. But this wasn't a movie, and it wasn't a zombie that could easily be killed by decapitation or a gun shot to the head. Having only dealt with zombies in a few serious occasions, they really weren't that hard to kill. This, was going to be _very _hard.

The earth separated easily against the hands of the demon, not even recognizable anymore as the human who was once Dean Winchester. The wings were flapping wildly, sending dust everywhere. The hands were out of the ground, and braced against the Earth. Black-toothed mouths were seen snapping and gapping on the back, chest, and arms.

When the head was lifted out of the ground, Sam paled. It didn't even have a face. No eyes, no nose, no hair at all. It was just one big mouth that covered the expanse of flat surface. The mouth was filled with uneven sharp teeth. Bigger than any of the other mouths, making it impossible to close it completely. A large, split tongue lolled out Tiny little holes on either side with twisted skin round them must have served as ears.

With the entire torso out of the ground, he stopped. Slouched over and panting like a worn dog, all the mouths were gasping. Sam got a better look at the demon. The skin was a dark grayish-pink, and small little wisps of black smoke started to curl off his very being. Suddenly the demon lifted his head and unleashed a deep wavering roar. Sam flinched back from the demon. The thought struck him that all humanity and conscious had been wiped away and replaced by animalistic bloodlust. The roar died away as an echo in the distant. The demon licked his lips and sighed in relief.

"Don't be fooled. Thought I don't have eyes, I can still sense you." The demon spoke. His voice was filled with power that filled the air, but that was definitely Dean's voice. Sam felt fear and relief that his brother was still in there. "I can feel all of you, ready to kill me. Let me tell you, I'm not going to make it easy."

Behind Dean the grass rustled. People started to stand up, all of them had the same glistening black eyes. There were about fifteen of them in the first minute, but then that number tripled within the next. The large mouth on the demons face widened into a cruel smile. But then he turned that huge, faceless head towards Sam.

"Sam, it pains me that they brought you to see me like this." There was actual anguish in his voice. "I had hoped you'd stay out of this. But it seems like they want to use your hate for demons against the love for your brother. Have you given my offer any thought?"

"No, not one bit. Answer's still the same." Sam tightened his grip on the sword. Sam swore he saw a look of disappointment from Dean.

"That's…too bad. I'm so sorry, Sam. But if you won't join me, then you will perish like the rest of humanity."

The black smoke thickened and rose towards the sky. It soon reached the clouds and spread across the sky like ink across water. In that moment, the angels rushed Dean, and the demons behind him did likewise. Heaven and hell clashed on the plains outside the Denver International Airport. Angels flew at Dean and started stabbing at his skin with their angel knives. But they didn't seem to bother him in the least. He would brush them off, send them flying with a shake of his body. Dean hoisted the rest of his body out of the ground. But instead of legs, he had a serpentine tail from the waist down that had a wicked looking sickle on the end. Demons assaulted angel in groups, but they were killed easily with the knives. But it seemed like every demon that was killed, three more would replace it.

Sam had cut down several demons already. He was starting to feel his muscles heat up from exercise and he knew soon he would start to tire. He spun around, expecting there to be a demon, but there was air. Sam did a 360, and saw that no demons were attacking him.

"Sam," Dean was maybe three meters away. He towered over Sam, and the smoke emitting off of him clouded his features. "Sam, please. Accept my offer before I cover the world in darkness. I still care about you, you're still my brother. I don't want you to die."

"How can you expect me to live with this?" Sam didn't make it clear if he was talking about the way Dean was or what Dean was going to do. "You stopped being my brother the minute you climbed out of the blood bath."

"Sam…I'm begging you." Dean's voice was small. "But if you remain human, you will die. Accept my offer, say yes to Lucifer, and with my help, you can live with me and be happy, just the two of us. Forever."

"I'd rather die than live with any demon forever." Sam sneered. Dean roared again, smoke billowing off of him in strong waves. He raised a hand over his head.

"So be it, then!" Angered, betrayed, and torn, Dean smashed his hand down on top of Sam. Sam managed to roll away just in time. "If you won't join me, then you will feel the wrath of my power just like everybody else."

Dean spun around, sending his tail crashing toward Sam. Sam jumped, but couldn't clear the lowest part of Dean's tail. It knocked the wind out of Sam, and he dug the angel knife into Dean's thick hide. Dean couldn't reach around and brush him off, so he spread his wings and took off from the ground.

Sam screamed as his brother zigzagged and looped, swerving up and down, side-to-side wildly in an attempt to throw him off. But Sam held strong and even managed to get a hold of the wild ride. Using the angel knife as a support, Sam made his way up the tail and the back, keeping clear of the mouths with their reaching tongues.

Sam was perched on the massive shoulder blades, his legs braced against the wing joints. He reared up is body and raised the knife above his head. With all his might, he plunged the knife into the back of Dean's broad neck. Dean howled in pain. Sam must have gotten the knife between vertebrae, because the wings locked and Dean stopped moving, sending them both into an out of control decent high above the ground. The ground was coming up way too fast, and Sam braced himself for impact.

Dean hit the ground with his chest and face. He tipped forward, throwing Sam into the wheat stalks. Dirt and wheat went flying everywhere. There was a loud snap, and Dean was still. Sam struggled to his feet. He had dislocated his shoulder, and the left side of his body was pretty banged up. Dean hoist his massive body upright, but one of his wings was bent at an odd angle. Some of the mouths were filled with dirt.

Angels started to appear. They were bruised and battered, and there didn't seem to be as many as there was before. But hardly any demons remained. Castiel stepped forward.

"You can't get away now, Dean." He said in a loud voice. "You're servants have failed, and your powers are starting to wane. You've lost."

Dean's mouth-face clenched then released. His broken wing twitched from pain. "Don't be so sure of that."

Sam looked up. The sky was completely black. He could see red lightning just behind the black veil and fire burn.

"My darkness now covers the world, and soon, fire and lightning will destroy everything there ever was. Everything on the face of this planet will be reduced to smolder and ash within the hour."

"You're not going to get an hour." Castiel said.

A white light appeared in the sky directly overhead. A small black dot in the center of it started to get bigger and bigger, getting closer and closer. Sam could soon distinguish it as a ring, a ring of metal. Angels were pushing it down, urging it faster to Earth. Sam felt the ground shudder greatly as it slammed into the earth, with Dean's hulking form in the dead center. With closer view, Sam saw very intricate metal work, with pentagrams all around the ring and Latin carved into the outside of each one. It was no doubt the most impressive devils trap Sam had ever seen. He just wished he didn't have to see his brother in the middle of it.

There were five disks on the ring, where five angels took their place. They extended their hands toward Dean and closed their eyes. Chanting started to ring out from them, softly at first , but gradually getting stronger. Blue light came from the metal and the area inside the ring. Dean screamed and rushed towards an opening. But he crashed into some kind of barrier and stumbled back. He continued screaming in pain.

"Don't worry, it's a purifying ritual." Zechariah appeared beside Sam, watching like a sports spectator. "It will turn the demon essence into human essence. It's one of the most powerful spells we know. But if it goes on for too long…well, it's never gone on longer than it's needed to be."

"And that won't happen this time, right?" Sam asked, his voice was husky from pain.

"Those angels won't stop until I tell them too, and I know when it needs to stop." Zechariah looked at Sam, a reassuring glint in his eye that Sam didn't trust. "Relax, you'll have you're brother back in no time."

Sam stared in awe at the ritual. This was the plan all along? Dean was now writhing and convulsing, each one of his mouth screaming. Sam could see the spell taking affect, see it start to shred away each layer of demonic essence. For once, the angels came through.

Dean's body started glowing darkly until his features were obscured. Small pieces of glowing flesh were torn off and flew into the sky above, dispersing the black smoke. Dean's form was getting smaller and smaller, his wings disappeared, and so did his mouths. He was starting to look like Dean.

After a couple minutes, regular, human Dean was lying on the ground, bare and hardly conscious. His eyes cracked open a little and he tried to sit up.

"Alright, now's the-" Zechariah stopped short and fell forward on his face. Sam spun around and killed the demon that had ambushed Zechariah. Sam got to his knees and examined the nasty head wound on the right side of Zechariahs temple. The angel wasn't dead. But he definitely wasn't in his vessel anymore.

Dean was sitting up now, looking around confused and bewildered. The chanting angels changed pitch, and Dean got a strange look on his face. He looked down to see his hands and chest glowing with inner white light. Then he got a pained look on his face and keeled over into a silent scream. Sam watched in horror as the white light spread over his body. What was happening?

_It's a purifying ritual._ Zechariahs voice said in his head._ But if it goes on for too long…_Sam paled, and realization hit him. _Those angels won't stop until I tell them to._

"Stop them!" Sam shot to his feet, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "Someone make them stop!"

When no one moved, Sam took out his angel knife. Dean was in the center of the ring, lifted off the ground with his arms spread. The glowing intensified. Sam ran up to the nearest angel and speared the knife through his neck. The angel immediately died and fell to the ground. The ritual was broken, the blue light disappeared and the metal ring was glowing red hot. But Dean didn't stop screaming.

Dean tossed his head to the sky, and in a beam of white light shot into the heavens.

Everything fell silent.

Angels looked around, confused as to what happened, and the ones who had been chanting fainted. Sam breathed hard, from both pain and disbelief. His brother had been human, had been back to normal. But now…gone. Again. Sam threw his head and howled. The angels turned their attention to him, but when Sam opened his eyes again, they were all gone except one.

Castiel stood a distance apart from Sam, almost like he was afraid of him. But to Castiel's surprise, he saw tears form in Sam's eyes.

"Cas…where's my brother? What happened to him?" Sam's voice was very weak.

"I…I don't…" But before Cas could finish, Sam's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground. The exhaustion and pain had over come his mind.

* * *

A/N: Hey I'm back! Intense chapters like this are bound to come fast, so be greatful! I'm actually very proud of this chapter, because when I get into things, my writing gets very crappy. But this doesn't seem that crappy...well to me. Please review! I'm getting anxious as to the very few that have done so! I want to know what you guys think! You'll find out what happened to Dean in the next chapter, but things slow down, so be patient.

What's nice about Deans character is that he can be put through the worst stuff, turned into the evilest creature or whatnot, but he always comes back as good ol' Dean. That's why I like messing with him. I don't find it the same with Sam. I might be wrong, but Dean...eh, he's more fun. Anyway, read, review, and enjoy!


	12. Feign

Dean is gone...again. Sam wakes up to a familiar faces, and family is later restored. But now what's the big secret?

* * *

Sam was sitting on a park bench by a lake. He was leaned forward with his hands clasped under his chin. Everything was silent, there were no other people, no dogs, not even birds in the trees. All there was was the faint sloshing of the lake water. Sam didn't know how long he was sitting there, but he didn't really care. Everything was peaceful. Sam smiled.

"So I guess you're dreams aren't that different." A voice said. Sam saw a figure sitting next to him on the bench in his peripheral vision. But didn't need to turn his head to know who it was.

"That different from who?" Sam asked, barely surprised by his calm reaction.

"Mine. When I'm sleeping on a pint." Dean said looking at Sam.

"Tends to happen when stress and exhaustion makes you black out." Sam leaned back on the bench. "Dreaming helps the brain relax. Keeps it from exploding."

"Nah, you're head was going to explode anyway from your big ego." Dean snarked, giving Sam his joking half smile.

"Everything was so nice, until you showed up." Sam sighed. He stood up, facing Dean. He seemed to be in much better health than…well, ever. His skin was a healthy shade of tan, and the misery lines under his eyes had disappeared. Sam sighed again. "It's too bad you're only a figment of my imagination."

Dean looked sad all of a sudden. "What makes you say that."

"I saw you die, Dean. Again. The angel's ritual went too far, and it destroyed you. I can't…I can't bare it."

Dean stood up and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. For a dream and a figment, it sure felt real.

"Sam, I'm not dead." Dean said, squeezing his shoulder. "And I'm not a figment either. The ritual didn't destroy me. It just…went too far."

Sam, feeling skeptical, scoffed.

"Sam, I'm here, I'm real. And now it's time for you to wake up."

Dean put a hand on Sam's forehead, and his breath hitched from the rushing sensation he felt. Sam gasped, and suddenly he was lying down on a lumpy bed staring up at a water-stained ceiling. He sat up quickly, startling Bobby and the strawberry-blonde woman who have been none other than Helen Harvelle.

"Sam, you're okay!" Jo said, shooting up from her chair and racing over to Sam. She sat down on the bed and threw her arms around him. Sam was filled with questions, but waited until Jo pulled back. He stared at Helen and Jo.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sam asked, his voice dry.

"Of course, no hello, no friendly greeting. Just like a Winchester." Helen rolled her eyes.

"Bobby called us and told us everything, we had to come." Jo explained.

"How did you find me? Where are we?" Sam asked.

"We're in Boulder, Colorado. Castiel brought you to us. You were unconscious, and we had to reset you're shoulder. You've been out of it for two days." Bobby piped up.

"And…Dean?" Sam was almost too afraid to ask. The uneasy looks that the three gave each other didn't help at all.

"When Castiel showed up, it wasn't exactly a pretty sight."

* * *

The three had just rented the room, and where barely settled when the door flew open and Castiel stumbled in with a limp man at his side. It took a second for everyone to respond. Helen and Jo rushed to retrieve Sam and put him on the bed. He was deathly pale and his breathing was uneven and shallow. Jo put a hand on his forehead.

"He'll be alright, but you should fix his shoulder." Castiel said, he was breathing hard as well, a fading scar ran down his left cheek.

"Cas, what happened?" Bobby asked urgently, wheeling forward.

"Doesn't matter, Sam needs to be taken care of. I need to go back to Heaven." With that, Castiel vanished.

* * *

"We fixed you're shoulder, and waited for you to come through. That was two days ago. We haven't heard from Castiel or your brother since." Helen explained.

"I just had a dream about him. He told me that he wasn't dead." Sam ran a hand through his hair. "But that might just be my sub conscious in denial."

"No, he's not dead." Everybody turned to see Castiel standing in front of the door.

"Cas…what happened?" Sam got to his feet. "What do you mean Dean's not dead?"

"Ask him yourself. He's waiting for you outside." Cas had a serene look on his face.

Sam paused for only a moment, then rushed for the door, and so did everybody else except Castiel. Sam burst out into the early afternoon light. Jo, Helen and Bobby were not far behind. The Impala was parked just outside the motel next to Bobby's faded white truck and Helen and Jo's red suburban. There was someone leaning against the trunk of the Impala, his head tilted up towards the sun. Sam rushed around the side and stared.

It was just like in his dream. Dean seemed to be in better health, and the sun seemed to reflect, giving him an inner glow. When Dean opened his eyes, Sam thought he never saw a more vibrant color of green in his brother's eyes. And thankfully, there were no markings on the iris. Dean turned his head and smiled at Sam.

"That's right, bask in the glory that is Dean Winchester." He smirked. But there was no hiding the obvious joy he felt in seeing his brother again. Sam moved first, and Dean wasn't far behind. Brothers embraced each other, and those rare Winchester hugs were too few and far between. Jo and Helen knew that, and believed it now more than ever.

Dean pulled back first. Sam did as well, knowing that his three and a half seconds of major chick-flick moment was up. But just to make sure that Dean wouldn't suddenly fly away without him, he kept his hands on his shoulder.

"Are you real? Are you back to normal?" Sam said softly.

Dean's smile wavered ever so slightly, but just enough that Sam caught it. But it was back just as quick.

"Yeah, Sammy. It's really me." Dean's reassurance was all Sam needed. Dean looked over Sam's shoulder at Helen, Jo, and Bobby watching a few feet off.

"Pop some popcorn, why don't you?" Dean called.

They all laughed and came over to exchange greetings with Dean. Then they all went inside the motel room to swap stories. Jo and Helen basically retold the tail of Sam being unconscious and waiting for him to come back, as well as why they were there.

"What do you remember Dean? All of it, any of it?" Jo asked. No doubt Bobby had let them in on recent events.

Dean bowed his head. "Oh yeah, I remember all of it. Every day and every feeling, it was just one continuous battle with the darkness. It was so strange. In one big sense, I was the demon. Powerful and concentrated, had this big plan in mind. Then in another sense, I was me. Small, fighting just to stay alive, and scared as hell. Then there was the whole meeting and the battle, and I was almost overwhelmed the entire time, but I managed to keep it back. Then the angels did the ritual, and all the darkness seemed to dissipate. But it also felt like I was being torn apart, burned from the inside out."

Everybody was silent. It seemed as if the very pain and struggling Dean had gone through poured out in his words, and anybody who heard them also felt it. Sam could recall a similar effect when Dean was a demon, how his voice boomed with the anger and power inside of him. Sam shook the memory off, his brother was a human now.

"What happened after the ritual, do you remember?" Sam asked.

Dean's eyes flickered to Cas, who was watching him very closely. "Yeah, there was white light everywhere, and I was just floating in the middle of it. I don't know how long I was there, but then Cas found me, and brought me back to Earth.

"Do you know where you were?" Jo asked. Dean scowled.

"Yes." Dean stopped, refusing to say anymore. "But that's not important."

"But Dean-" Helen was cut off by Sam standing up.

"Let's not badger him, okay? I'm satisfied with his story, so let's leave it at that for now, alright?"

Nobody said anything. But really nobody wanted to go against Sam, especially when it came into terms of his brother's means of security. Besides, they all knew Dean would tell Sam something sooner or later. And if it was important enough, which it probably would be, he would tell one of them.

Sam nodded. He turned to Dean, who got to his feet.

"I say we all go out for a drink to celebrate." He said with a wide smile.

"I second the motion," Bobby said, making his way to the door.

They all went out to a shabby run down bar on the outskirts of Boulder. But the beer was good, and so was the whiskey. In fact, Dean seemed to help himself to just about every kind of liquor the bartender could muster up. But nobody thought it was odd, because they were all too buzzed to care. It was karaoke night at the bar, and the boys enjoyed watching Jo and Helen sing a mother-daughter duet with "I will survive." Sam, Dean, and Bobby all knew they were going to be awkward about it in the morning.

When the bar was closing into the early morning hours, they decided to kick the can and headed out to the cars. Everybody was drunk, however. Everyone except Dean, who seemed…practically sober. And he had drunk the most out of anybody. But he ended up being the designated driver, which never happens, and they all had to pile into the Impala. They had to fold up Bobby's chair and stuff it in the trunk, and then flop him into the back seat next to Helen and Jo. On the ride home, they all swapped embarrassing stories of one another, and laughed whole-heartedly.

"Dean, do you remember the time we were hunting that werewolf in New Orleans, and there was that gypsy woman who started hitting on you, and you started flirting back?" Sam said very loudly, in a drunk-joy haze. He turned to the people in the back seat. "It turned out that she used to be a guy!"

Everybody bawled, except for Dean, who reddened a little and quirked a smile.

"That's nothing compared to the kitsune in Washington that jumped your bones." Dean shot back.

Everybody gasped and stared at Sam. Then the snickering started, then the laughing, and then the full out guffaws of disbelief.

"Sam had sex with a…with a…" Jo tried to say it out loud, but it seemed as if the very idea of it made it almost impossible.

Sam reddened slightly and gave Dean a hurt look. Dean gave an apologizing smile, and by the time everybody was starting to stifle their laughs controllably, they had reached the motel.

Walking through the door and seeing the beds, it seemed as if someone had flipped the off switch on everybody's energy. Sam just walked over to the edge of a bed and plopped down. Helen, Jo, and Bobby went to their separate rooms, with Dean as an escort to make sure they didn't do anything stupid or crazy on the way. When Dean got back, Sam was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. Dean shrugged off his jacket and took the other bed. He was just about to turn the light out when Sam spoke up.

"Dean, I'm really glad you're here." Sam's words were slurred from both alcohol and sleepiness. "Everything's back to the way it was. Now we can get on with our lives."

Dean didn't say anything, and if Sam had his eyes open, he would have seen the look of guilt flicker over his brothers face. But alas, he was asleep right after he said the first word.

"Good night, Sammy." Dean said softly, then turned out the light.

* * *

Dean didn't have to wait long before the low breathing and light snoring of Sam's bed could be easily distinguishable. He got up and put his jacket on. Why, he wondered. Probably old human habits, he couldn't kick. He quietly left the motel room and stared out at the empty perking lot. He was glad he didn't have to keep up the emotional charade anymore.

"Feelings were so much easier to display when I could actually feel them." Dean said to the darkness, but he knew Castiel was listening. "Same with the liquor, didn't think I would have to drink five gallons just to get even a little fuzzy."

"You'll have to drink much more than that if you want to call it a sin," Castiel appeared right next to Dean, but the man didn't look at him.

"Castiel, you're plan is going to take too long, there's got to be another way." Dean's voice was stern. He turned to the angel. "I don't like this. I can't lie, I can't get drunk, and I can't feel enough anger to shout this in you're face. I never knew you guys were this hollow inside."

"You want to become human, contaminate your soul again. Do that by doing humane things, like drinking and having sex. It's the only thing we've got until we find something else." Castiel's voice was equally stern. "Remember, you're not the only one whose not happy with this."

"Right, Michael is starting to feel threatened? He needs to find something better to do than try to keep me on my knees." Dean furrowed his brow. Castiel blinked.

"Very good. You almost sounded like human Dean for a second. Try to use more obscure metaphors and movie relations."

"Thanks, Castiel. I'll keep that in mind." Dean sighed.

"But it's really not something to joke about. As a demon, you could have overpowered Lucifer. And now, as an angel, you could outrank Michael. Which is why we need to get you back to human fast, before my superiors and Zechariah get anymore ideas."

"And since angels don't sleep, this is going to be a very long run of booze and women." Dean didn't seem excited about the idea at all, didn't seem any kind of emotion about anything. "I can just hope I get this over with before Sam starts suspecting things."

"You're not going to tell him? Don't you think that would make it harder when he does find out?" Castiel pondered out loud as Dean turned away towards the city. Dean stopped.

"In this way, I'm lying, sinning, and getting my essence back to normal. The longer this goes on and the worse it gets, the better."

Both disappeared at the same time with a flap of wings. One went to wait patiently for day break, the other went to empty out the nearest liquor store.

* * *

A/N: Yeeeeaaaaaahhh...not a very good chapter, I must say. But it gets from the beginning to the middle and moves us forward in the story.

So, totatlly other side of the coin, right? Bet you didn't see this coming! Angels originally aren't that much fun, but I'm evil, and creative, so no worries. In the meantime, read, review, and enjoy!


	13. Silver

The brothers hit the road again. But danger stil lurks. And this, it's a lot closer to home than either of them can expect.

* * *

This had to be a dream. Had to be. But everything was so vivid. Could it be another vision? It had been at least three years. But it felt the same as they did back then. And after all these years, his psychic powers were still sending him death omens.

The woods were dark, except for a strange silver light that separated the darkness and diminished the shadows. Sam was running towards it, his chest filled with worry and his heart pumping adrenaline. Sam didn't know how or why, but Dean was in trouble. Something was wrong with him, something was after him, and he didn't have much time.

Bursting through the brush, the trees were thinner, and a being with silver skin walked through the trees. Men and women were lurking through the trees, carrying knives and other weapons such as double-barrel shotguns and .45 mm. Sam rushed ahead of them, some of them called out to them, and Sam realized that they were other hunters. What were they hunting? Sam had that strange feeling that he knew the answer, but just not yet.

Sam was gaining on the silver-skinned creature, which was moving fast for someone walking. Sam laid a hand on the things shoulder, and the skin was so cold, it burned Sam's hand. The thing stopped, and turned its white-haired head toward Sam.

Sam froze. Pale blue eyes stared back at Sam, and the silver face was all too familiar in the light it was emanating. Sam gasped at the sight. There was gunfire, and the skin on the left shoulder burst open into white blood. There was a cry emanating from the mouth that seemed to rip the very life out of Sam and everything around him. Another gunshot, this time in the chest, and he fell forward, face first. The light radiating off the body diminished, and Sam and the other people gathered around were submerged in darkness.

* * *

Sam woke to the sound of the door slamming. He jumped, wincing as the hangover headache started to take affect. Dean stumbled into the room, grabbing at the furniture and anything to keep from falling over. Sam sat up, just as Dean was sitting down.

"Mornin' Sam." Dean said blurrily. Sam blinked at him.

"Dude, were you drinking at 6:30 in the morning?" Sam rubbed his temple.

"…No…yes…" Dean shook his head lazily, "Maybe!"

"Dude, what is wrong with you?"

Dean didn't say anything. Just sat there with a grieved look on his face. Sam stepped off, thinking he had hit a soft spot. Sam got out of bed, and walked over to Dean.

"Hey man, I'm sorry." Sam said putting a hand. "I know it must be hard with what you've been through." Dean looked up at Sam, his eyes clear and his features stern.

"It's okay, Sammy." Dean stood, and Sam was startled by the sudden hangover recovery. It was almost as if he had never had one! Had he been pretending? Though the pounding in Sam's skull just reminded him of his own. Lucky bastard, Sam thought.

Sam and Dean both showered and changed clothes, getting ready for what ever the day had in store. Jo and Helen were already awake, but Bobby was still sound asleep. They all thought it best to leave him be, and went out for breakfast.

Sam immediately decided not to tell Dean about the vision, because he knew how his brother felt about his powers. But, how could his brother have become that silver-skinned creature? The more Sam ran over it in his head the more it seemed like a dream

"So I guess since the danger has come and gone, we'll all be heading our separate ways then?" Helen asked. Sam and Dean looked at each other.

"Guess so, where will you guys go?"

"We'll head back home first, then do what we do best." Jo explained. "Hunting. What about you guys?"

"I was thinking Washington." Dean said. "Lot's of nice scenery, and nice girls."

Sam elbowed Dean, who chuckled. But Sam knew that Washington had very dense forest, much like the one he had seen in his vision. And, if he wanted to keep his brother alive, he would avoid places like that.

"Actually, we need to go to Arizona." Sam said sternly. Dean and everybody else looked at him.

"Arizona?" What's in Arizona?" Dean quirked an eyebrow.

Sam thought fast. "The Grand Canyon, the Mojave Desert. You know, those dry, arid places, without any trees…"

Everybody stared at him. Sam could feel himself blushing from embarrassment, and tried to swallow a dry throat.

"I could dig the Grand Canyon, but let's try to avoid the desert." Dean smirked.

After breakfast, they went back to the motel and knocked on Bobby's room. Turns out he had woken up not only ten minutes after they all left, and had his things all packed and ready to go.

Saying goodbye was easy, especially for Dean it seemed. He recited his farewells like a robot, with a monotone voice. Everybody left, and then Sam and Dean checked out and hit the road.

"So, the Grand Canyon?" Dean started after a while. "You sure you don't want to go see the biggest ball of twine? Heard that's in Oklahoma."

"Don't make fun, Dean. The Grand Canyon is a natural beauty that took hundreds of years to form." Sam said, jokingly authoritative.

Dean laughed, but then his face straightened, gazing at the road ahead. Sam looked and saw a blur of orange construction cones and neon vest. As they drew closer, they saw that the over pass on the highway had collapsed, blocking the road. Cars were turning back, heading the way they had just come. Dean continued, and stopped next to a worker holding a sign.

"Road's closed, sir. Gonna have to find another route." He said.

"Well what's another way to get out of Colorado and towards Arizona?" Dean asked.

"Take highway 285, it'll take you through Utah, then you can work your way there." The man said, pointing back up the road. He told them how to get there, and they turned the car around.

They reached Utah by late afternoon, and of course, Dean had to stop at a convenience store to buy pie, or something. While Sam waited in the car, his phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Sam! Thank god you picked up." Helen's voice was frantic on the other side. "You and you're brother are in danger. We were headed home and taking a break at a bar, and there was a group of hunters there."

"Helen, I know hunters aren't that common, but it's not like we're an endangered species." Sam laughed.

"Sam, listen to me. We overheard them talking, they're headed for Arizona, to cut you off." Helen said. "They're after you guys."

"What? Did you hear why?" Sam straightened in his seat.

"All we heard was that they were heading down south to 'take care of the problem'."

"Alright, thanks Helen." Sam was about to hang up, when he heard Helen calling his name. "What?"

"Sam, we didn't hear anything about you. They were mostly talking about you're brother." Sam froze. Why would hunters be after his brother? "And they weren't the only ones. We've run across at least three groups that we're planning something similar."

"But why? He's not a demon anymore."

"They didn't say anything about demon."

For a second Sam didn't say anything, long enough that Helen asked if he was still there.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks for the look out Helen." Sam pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Take care of yourselves."

Sam hung up, just as Dean exited the store.

Should he tell Dean? Maybe Dean knew why hunters were after him. But…Dean had been through a lot lately. Sam would handle it, but not tell Dean. Yes, Dean's conscious well-being was higher priority than his physical, according to Sam.

Dean got in the car, and put the food in the back seat. He pulled a beer bottle out and snapped the cap off. Taking a long pull and a gasp, Dean looked at Sam.

"What?"

"Nothing, just…" Sam saw a brochure for the Great Salt Lakes in the store, and got an idea. "Let's forget about the Grand Canyon, head north, for the lakes."

Dean blinked, and Sam gave a cheesy smile. "Since when did you become so indecisive?"

Dean started the car and they rerouted their course to head north.

* * *

Dean almost felt glad when they finally stopped at a motel for the night. Dean waited till Sam was asleep, then silently left the motel, this time by wing, not by door. Once again, Castiel was waiting outside.

"Seems we have a bit of a situation on our hands." Castiel said.

"You have any idea whose tipping the hunters off about me?" Dean asked sternly.

Dean had overheard Sam's talk on the phone. He had seen Sam's worried expression, then he could hear him, and Helen on the other line as f he was included in the conversation.

Dean could have said that he was hurt that Sam didn't tell him, but that would be a lie, and angels couldn't lie. At least, not very good lies.

"No, I only knew about the situation when you did." Castiel said. "But we can find out who if we just-" Castiel cut off, staring at Dean's arm.

Dean looked down, to see the sleeve of his jacket emitting a silver light. He pulled the sleeve back to see a startling sight. Well, it would have been startling if he was human.

Small lines of silver ran up and down Dean's forearm. They curved and branched, much like that of a tree. It was as if liquid silver was flowing through his veins. Dean put a hand on the lines, and felt that they were cold to the touch.

"Castiel, what is this?" Dean's voice was low, yet calm.

"I…I don't know." Cas kept staring. "We should go back to heaven, ask the higher ups-"

"No, Cas." Dean thrust his sleeve back down. "It was hard enough getting out of heaven the first time. I don't think my body could handle it again."

"It doesn't seem like your body is handling it now." Cas said.

"You go and figure out what you can, tell me tomorrow, and stay on top of this hunter situation." Dean ordered. Castiel stared at him.

Cas couldn't decide which he hated more, that fact that Dean, being an archangel, was now considered one of his superiors. Or the fact that because he was a superior, he had to do what ever Dean told him. Both seemed pretty demeaning.

Cas disappeared into the night, and Dean went on another nightly raid of liquor stores and brothels. Dean thought that with all the sinning he was doing, his angel powers would have lessened, and he was becoming more human. But it turns out that it takes a lot to bring down an archangel. No wonder Michael was so uptight.

Dean looked down at his arm. The glowing was very obvious. Dean was beginning to think that he couldn't keep his secret from Sam much longer. But he would keep it up for as long as he could. Besides, it wasn't like he was a demon anymore; he wasn't evil, or going to destroy the world.

* * *

Sam and Dean continued heading north the next day. The crossed grass covered plains, with the west side of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Good, Sam thought. The farther we stay away from forests, the better.

There were maybe only two times in Sam's life where he had stopped visions from coming true. One was the vision he had of Max Miller killing his stepmother, the other was of the same guy killing his brother. Maybe if Sam was lucky, this would also be one of those times.

They stopped at a gas station to refill the car. Dean went into the store to buy more beer, and Sam pumped the gas.

"Hello, Sam." A voice said next to him. Sam turned to see a short man, with graying stubble on his chin. He must have been in his late thirties.

"Um…do I know you?"

"No, but I've heard a lot about you. And your brother is inside being introduced to my friend." He looked at the store.

Dean walked outside, a man with shaggy brown hair walking behind him. By the way they were walking so close, Sam could've guessed that the man had a gun on his brother. The two joined Sam and the other man.

"You two are going to take a little walk with us just out there." The man indicated to the beginnings of very thin trees, no doubt leading to a well covered forest. Sam gulped.

"Well, you know, I wish we could, but we can't leave the gas pump unattended you see." Dean said smiling, pointing at the sticker that said exactly that. The gray haired man pulled out his own gun and pointed it at Sam.

"Ain't really the time to be worrying about your car." He said, his voice low.

With guns trained on both brothers, they had no choice but to do as the men demanded. They walked off into the trees. They stopped when they were a good ways in, out of eyesight and earshot.

"You guys are hunters, aren't you?" Sam asked. There lack of response was answer enough for him. "Look, I don't know what you guys have heard, but it's not true."

"Really, see we got reliable resources that say your brother is a monster." The brunette said. Dean and Sam stole quick glances at each other.

"It's not true. Do I look like a monster?" Dean said, spreading his arms out. "Go ahead, splash me with holy water, sprinkle me with salt. None of it's gonna have any affect."

"Look, guys, we had a situation a couple days ago. But it's all cleared up, no need to do anything rash." Sam said. Worry started to take hold of his heart.

"Oh, we heard about that. Good job, Sam." The gray-haired man said. "But how sure are you that this right here is your brother?"

"Mike, maybe we should let them go. He looks human to me." The other guy said.

Mike looked at him, then back at Dean. Suddenly, he pulled out a pistol and shot Dean.

* * *

A/N: Hey peoples. Just felt a little guilty about that shitty last chapter. So I got this one done as fast as I could. For those of you who are thinking, is Dean ever going to get back to normal? Yes, he is, but a few things have to happen first. Stick with me, it'll get good. In the meantime, read review, and enjoy!


	14. Revealed

Sam knows about Dean's condition, and Dean knows about Sam's vision. Drastic measures may be taken.

* * *

The bullet hole in Dean's shoulder was just a flesh wound, but it still should have hurt like hell.

But Dean just stood there, his eyes looking down at the hole in his shoulder. A regular man would have crumpled and groaned, been in immense pain. But Dean steeled his features and glared at the two men, no sign of pain anywhere on his face. Then the blood came.

It wasn't dark crimson red, like it should have been. It was pink. A fading pink that was diluted with white. Just barely a trickle at first, but then it stained the entire left side of his shirt.

Sam gaped at his brother. A million things were going through Sam's mind. But basically the one thing that stood out was a big exhausted _Not Again. _

Dean moved so fast, Sam didn't even know what happened until he saw Mike hit a tree with a loud snap. He fell to the ground, eyes open, but didn't move. A strangled sound came from Sam's right, and he turned to see that Dean had an arm under the other guys jaw, pinning him to another tree.

"Dean, stop!" Sam called.

Sam ran up to Dean and tried to pull him away. But Dean was immovable, and he pressed his arm harder and harder into the man's neck, enough so that he would break his neck.

But Dean dropped his arm, and the man fell to ground, gasping for air. Dean stared down his nose at the man for a few seconds, Sam didn't know what he was going to do next. Dean walked over to the body of Mike on the ground, and grasped his shoulder. There was a crunch and Mike snapped up, breathing hard. He saw Dean knelt down next to him and freaked out, backing away as fast as he could. Mike scrambled up and joined his friend, both of them gawked at Dean with fear.

"Listen to me very carefully." Dean's voice was low. "Your going to turn around and go back to your car, and forget you ever had this little run-in with me and my brother. But first, there's something I need to know. Who told you about me?"

"Like we said," Mike said with a gulp. "We heard it from a friend."

"And who did he hear it from?" Sam put in, his voice not as stern.

"Said he heard it from this little British thing, just came up and told him that Dean Winchester was dangerous. That he was going to destroy the world. For some reason, he just believed her." The other guy said. "I can see why."

"British?" Dean blinked, it took him a split second to piece it together. "Bella…"

"Her again? I was wondering what happened to her after DIA." Sam thought out loud.

"Alright boys, remember what I said." Dean faced the two hunters. "And don't even think about going to your hunter friends and try to gather a pack."

"Who's going to stop us? You? Your new rules won't let you." Mike spat.

"Don't affiliate me with them." Dean's voice almost sounded angry. "Just because I shouldn't, doesn't mean I can't. I can also make it so you get sent to the darkest, deepest, hottest corner of hell."

Both men stepped back, hesitant in their reply.

"You…you can't do that." The brown haired man said.

"Trust me, with my pay grade, I could send the armies of heaven crashing down on you." Dean's consistency in tone and facial expression was enough to make both men pale in the face.

They turned and fled, rushing through the trees in fright. Dean stood with his back to Sam, his shoulders relaxed. Then he turned to him, no expression of any emotion on his face. Sam's face was calm.

"Is your hair getting lighter?" Sam asked.

Dean wasn't really taken aback, but he wasn't expecting this.

"Ummm…" Dean looked up at the few strands of hair he could see. "I don't know."

Sam sighed, and an exhausted, yet casual look over came his face. He walked past Dean, through the woods and out to the car. Dean followed not really sure what to make out of Sam's behavior. Sam got in the car, on the driver side. Dean, without a fuss got in on the passenger side. Sam started the car, and as soon as he hit the highway, the Impala was going eighty.

"Dean, talk." Sam stared at the road with a hard expression.

Dean looked at Sam, then turned his head away with a sigh. He knew he couldn't keep the secret forever, just thought it would be a little longer than this.

"The ritual the angels preformed on me was a very ancient, very powerful purifying ritual." Dean began. "Try to imagine the soul as a filter. A dirty filter is like a demon soul, a clean on an angel, and a grimy one a human, sinning being representative as the dirt. The ritual was like cleaning the filter. They cleansed my soul of sin, and the less sin I had, the less demon I was and the more human I became.

"The original plan was to clean my…filter, or soul, or whatever, until it was a human soul once again. But since Zechariah was ambushed, the angels weren't called off, my soul continued to be purified. So clean, that I was turned into an angel."

"An angel, huh?" Sam raised his eyebrows. "The other end of the spectrum."

"It gets better." Dean said.

"Don't think it can get any _better_ than this." Sam scoffed.

"You know how powerful I was as a demon? More powerful than an archdemon, right?" Sam gave Dean a questioning look. "Imagine all that power converted to angel status."

Sam thought about it for a minute. Then his eyes widened.

"Dean that means you're-"

"More powerful than an archangel, yes." Dean finished for him. "Like, think Michael, just a couple steps higher. I'm actually not sure what order I belong to."

Sam gaped. Thinking back to Dean's demon form, with the wings and the mouths and serpentine body, a big question raised in Sam's mind.

"So does that mean, your angel power is going to change your body? Like with your demon form?"

Dean's mind immediately went to his arm. The silver light was barely noticeable in the daytime, but at night, it took a few layers of cloth to muffle it. It didn't seem to be a big problem now, and maybe as soon as Dean started going on his "sinning spree", maybe it would go away.

"No, I don't think so." Dean said, keeping a completely straight face the entire time. Sam looked at him, not completely sure what to think of his brother. Telling emotions with Castiel was hard enough, but angels were so bad at lying anyway, it was easy to tell. Since Dean didn't have that effect now, Sam concluded that he was telling the truth.

"So how are we gonna fix this?" Sam asked.

"You remember the whole filter prospect? Same basic principle. I do enough sinning, get my soul dirty again, I can become human again."

"And how's that coming along, Dean?" Sam asked skeptically.

"Harder than I thought it would be, but I'm getting there." Dean lied in the last part, Sam could tell when his voice changed pitch. But he decided not to look into it any further.

The rest of the ride was in silence. Dean seemed perfectly content just staring out the window, and Sam had nothing to say.

* * *

They reached Salt Lake City by nightfall, and Dean was careful with Sam seeing his glowing arm. He managed to make it through to bed time by keeping a light on at all times, or being in a different room. Dean knew Castiel was waiting outside for him, and by the way his angel waves were coming off, he had big news. Dean waited for Sam to sleep, sitting on his bed, not having to pretend to sleep anymore since the big secret was out. As soon as Sam was breathing deeply, Dean flapped outside. The glowing on his arm had intensified and spread since last time, lighting up Castiel and Dean's features.

"How'd you hide that from Sam?" Castiel asked.

"Easily. What have you got?"

"Nothing good. Basically, your angel powers are so strong, that it's eating away at your human body. Power such as yours was never meant to be on earth, but up in heaven. Your body can't handle the power locked up inside, so it's starting to break down." Castiel said this as if he was giving a mission report.

Dean didn't say anything for a while. "How long have I got?"

"My guess by the rate it's spreading, and your effort to become human, which is slowing it down…two weeks."

"Two weeks? That's not long at all!" Dean raised his voice, because it felt natural, but ended feeling foolish about it.

"Dean?" A voice said behind him. Dean spun around and Castiel stepped forward.

Sam stepped out from the shadows of the over hang, an expression of worry on his face. He looked like he was eight years old again, hearing that Dad had gone away again for no reason.

"Sam." Dean's voice was low. "How long…"

"The whole time. Next time actually make sure I'm asleep if you want to keep secrets." Sam stared at Dean's glowing arm, and saw another glowing patch on the adjacent shoulder. His hair and eyes were definitely getting lighter.

"Sam, I-"

"Let me see." Sam was stern.

Dean hesitated, and then shrugged off his jacket. He held up his silver arm for Sam to see. Sam stepped forward, examining the skin closely. The liquid silver running through his veins, and the cold touch, it was too much like Sam's vision.

"Well, I guess this isn't one of those consequences." Sam muttered.

"What? What consequence?" Dean almost demanded. Sam looked up at Dean and Castiel, then explained his vision to them. They both listened in mortified silence.

"Can Dean actually die, trapped in his human body?" Sam asked, mainly at Castiel.

"Honestly, I don't know. It's possible, since his soul is so closely pinned to the body. Perhaps, with holy bullets or something, it's possible."

"Those don't exist." Dean scoffed. "But I think we've got bigger problems on our hands. I'm becoming more angel than I am human, and hunters are after us. Now let's just calm down and think, what should we do.

"Just drinking and sex don't seem to be enough to turn you human. Dean, you might have to commit the biggest crime of all." Castiel stared at Dean in horror.

"And what is that again? Disobedience?" Dean waited anxiously.

"No, much worse." Castiel said. "Murder."

Sam and Dean stood there, shock showing on Sam's face more than Dean's.

"And by how powerful you are," Castiel continued. "It would have to be a massacre."

* * *

A/N: Hey, sorry it's such a short chapter, but I'm going to be gone(again) for a week, and I wanted to give readers something to wallow in. Dean's dying...again! I know I'm evil, but like I said, Dean the kind of guy that can get through it. Please! Read, review, and enjoy!


	15. Flying

Dean refuses to kill, and shares a special moment with Sam. But things go bad, and an unexpected character shows up. But things aren't as they seem.

* * *

Dean was outside leaning against the Impala, drinking heavy liquor that he and Sam had picked up. Halfway through the bottle, any man would have been very tipsy. But Dean, not being a man, was almost done with the bottle and his eyes weren't the least bit shiny. He chugged down the last of the golden liquid and turned to see Sam walking up to him. He leaned against the car frame with his feet propped against the bumper.

"So then what's the back up plan?" Sam asked, gazing into the distance. He looked at his brother when he got a delayed answer.

Sam was glad Dean refused to massacre a whole town of people. And being Castiels superior, meant that he didn't have to. But that still left the problem: how were they going to get Dean back human before he was forced to stay in heaven forever?

"Well for starters, keep this up." Dean said waving the empty bottle in the air. He reached into the back seat and pulled out a fresh bottle, snapped the lid open and took a long gulp.

"Dean, I know you don't have any emotions, but there is a sense of urgency here." Sam hardened his voice a little.

Dean stood up and looked toward the sky. His back to Sam, he cast shafts of light and shadow in the air. When he turned back to Sam, he was surprised to see Dean smiling lightly.

"Sam, I want to show you something." Dean said. He held out his hand. Sam looked at it questioningly, but didn't take it. "Sam, I want to take you flying."

Sam laughed, which caused the smile to disappear from Dean's face. When Sam's laughter died down, he saw Dean's serious face.

"Look Dean, nothing much against you, but I've already flown with you before. It wasn't the best experience of my life." Sam explained. Dean still had his hand held out.

"This is different, Sam. I'm not a demon. And I'm different than the other angels. Trust me, you'll want to do this." Dean's eyes were glowing.

Sam hesitated. He still wasn't so sure about flying with Dean. And Dean was supposed to be scared of flying in the first place. Traveling with Castiel was rough as it could be. Since Dean was more powerful, would that make it worse?

"Look, Sam," Dean said spreading his arms out. He indicated the wall of the motel behind Sam, and Sam turned to look and gasped.

The late mid-day light had originally cast Dean's shadow against the wall. But now, as Sam saw it, great wings with long, swooping, graceful feathers spread against the wall. It wasn't like before, with Dean's demon wings. That sight was terrifying. This was pure beauty. Sam couldn't see color with the wings, but if he could imagine, based on Dean's personality, he would have guessed they were a deep burnished gold, or a shimmering sterling gray. He looked back at Dean, half expecting to see the wings themselves. But all he saw was his brother smiling at him, with sunlight illuminating his form.

Dean held out his hand again. Sam smiled and took it.

Dean pulled his brother to his feet, and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, gripping his other shoulder with his other hand. Sam's feet were of the ground before he could take a steadying breath. The asphalt got farther and farther away, and soon, both Sam and Dean were high above the landscape of Utah. Sam could see the point where the craggy mountains smoothed out to the plains in the east where Wyoming lay. The land curved and bended beneath him, so did the roads that Sam saw cutting through the landscape. He saw the city in the distance, the tall gray, obelisk-like buildings tiny structures compared to the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains.

"Sam, look up." He heard Dean's voice in his ear.

Sam turned his head skyward, and gapped at the amazing cloud structures that were beginning to level with them. Sam began to wonder why he was breathing so easily. Higher elevation had less oxygen, so Sam should have been struggling for air. So why wasn't he?

"You're safe with me, Sam." Dean said. "Unlike other angels, I have more control over my powers. That's how I can fly so slow as well."

Sam looked at his brother. Dean was staring straight ahead, his eyes glowing with what was probably sheer joy. Dean turned his head to smile at Sam. Sam felt a small twang of fear.

The silver had spread to his face, and as they flew, Sam saw the silver spreading and branching, covering more and more of his face. By the time Dean saw the shocked look on Sam's face, the silver had spread to his left eye, turning the iris a pale blue.

"Sam, what is it?" Dean asked with worry.

"Dean, you're-"

Sam was interrupted by what looked like a big ball of darkness bowling down on Dean's left side. Dean cried out and both he and his brother started to spin. Dean righted himself quickly and dodged just in time to miss the shadow ball coming back. Sam and Dean picked up speed and the shadow ball chased after them. Dean looked back at it once, then banked up steeply. He looked down at Sam.

"Do you trust me?" Dean asked. Sam looked up at him, and it took him a second to register his brothers face. The silver had spread under his chin and across his forehead, but seemed to stop there. It was probably spreading over another part of his body.

"Sam, do you trust me?" Dean asked again.

"Yeah, Dean. You know I do. But why-" Sam got his answer before he could finish the question.

Sam was falling, his brother soared higher than him and got farther and farther away. He turned his body to see the ground rushing up at him with alarming speed. Sam wanted to scream, but the wind seemed to push the scream back down his throat. The was a bright burst of light above Sam and a loud boom. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the remnants of a huge explosion. Out of the dispersing smoke, Sam saw Dean streaking after him, legs straight arms pinned to his side. He caught up with Sam's free fall in no time, and righted them both so they were flying horizontal.

"Dean," Sam breathed. "You dropped me! I can't believe you dropped me!"

"I had to use both of my hands, Sammy." Dean gritted his teeth. "I'm hurt Sam, bad. I got to let you down somewhere before I crash."

Sam looked down and saw a large body of water in front of them. It must have been one of the Salt Lakes.

"Dean!" Sam said pointing. Dean saw and headed straight for it. Dean flew directly over the surface and slowed down as much as he could. Hen Dean began to wobble, he let go of Sam. Sam skipped across the water like a rock a couple times then, sank beneath the water. The salty water flooded Sam's brain and nose, and he rushed for the surface.

Breaking the water, Sam gasped and snorted the water out of his nasal cavity. A huge splash of water hit not fifteen meters away from Sam, and Sam swam as fast as he could to keep Dean, who had fallen unconscious, from sinking beneath the water. Sam secured a hold under Dean's arm and across his chest, then one-armed and kicked his way to shore. Dragging Dean on shore, Sam pumped water from Dean's own lungs, and checked the rest of his brothers vital signs.

He was alive, faintly.

Fortunately, Sam had washed them up next to an access road. But without a car, that meant nothing. Sam's phone was water logged, and so was Dean's. The sun was beginning to set, Dean's silver haze barely lit up the night. Sam didn't know if it was a problem for Dean, but when night fell, Sam's main problem, especially being in wet clothes, was going to be keeping warm. Sam stripped Dean's Jacket off, so the water wouldn't hinder Dean from getting dry and heating up. Sam draped it over one arm, then lugged Dean onto his shoulders. Carrying Dean as far as he could toward town would keep him warm, and Sam's body heat would hopefully heat up Dean.

Sam was right. Hauling Dean was enough exercise to get him warmed up. Sam didn't know how far he walked, but the quarter moon was high overhead and it must have been well past midnight. Just when Sam was about half a mile away from the outskirts of the town, Sam heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked break the silence of the night. Sam froze.

"Don't move, Sam Winchester." A female voice said. "Put your brother down and walk away."

Sam turned in the direction of the voice. Sam knew who it was, he could tell by the distinguished British accent she had.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" Sam croaked.

Bella stepped out of the shadows, a pistol directed at Sam's chest. She was in a very ragged form, a brunette girl wearing a thin t-shirt and jeans.

"I've come to collect him." Bella said her voice was soft, but calm.

"You know that guns not going to work on him." Sam said. Bella raised the gun a little.

"No, but it will work on you, don't forget that."

Dean moaned on Sam's shoulder, and shifted a little. Sam and Bella watched him. Dean settled, but did not wake.

"Bella if have any intention of living, I suggest you get out of here." Under better circumstances, Sam would have pounced on Bella, probably tried to rip her throat out. But his brother was out cold, Sam was wet and tired and had had a long day. All he could think about was a soft bed and he having a very long session.

Dean was waking, so Sam put him down on the ground with him lying on his back. Bella lowered the gun, but did not run away. Sam looked up and saw tears in her eyes.

Dean sat up and as he opened his eyes, his silver skin cast a brighter light. He saw Bella and paused. Dean got up, and stared at her. Sam stayed kneeling on the ground.

"Hello, Bella." Dean said. Both Bella and Dean knew that she was definitely not going to win this round.

"Dean…please…do it." Bella stepped loser to him. Dean looked at her, and she couldn't tell if he knew what she was talking about or not. "Release me. I know you can, you have the power."

"So you know what happens when creatures like us are released?" Dean asked softly.

"Of course. We become part of the flow of energy that keeps this planet alive. Back to where there is no good or evil, sinners or saints." Bella looked up to the stars and moon overhead. "Every demon has the secret dream of becoming that energy. Angels used to grant us mercy, and release into the great river of life. But then they grew hard-hearted, and stopped. That's why we hate angels so much."

Bella looked back at Dean. "I'm not asking you to do it for me because you love me, or do it because you know that this way I can never bother you again. I'm asking you to do it because you know what the suffering is like, and how much it hurts to know that there's something better for you just out of reach."

Bella started crying, and Dean's silver glow lit up the tears on her cheeks and in her eyes. Dean stepped up to her and put a hand gently on her cheek.

"_Abigail, under the witness of heaven and earth, I release you_." Dean leaned in and put his forehead against hers. Bella released a soft sigh, and her crying stopped. "_Return to the energy flow with which you were born, and be at peace in the eternal river that flows through all creation_."

Bella's form began to evaporate, not into thick black demon smoke, but into soft gray mist. The moon reflected off the small particles, creating small black moonbows.

Dean stepped back. "_Return to the eternal salvation that creates and endures all living things, be at peace_."

Bella opened her eyes, and just before the evaporation overtook her form, her face changed back into that of her real face, the one she had been born with as a human. Bella smiled, a peaceful smile that took years off her face, and then all that was left of her was a floating spot of mist. A soft breeze whistled through the trees, scattering the mist, and that was the end of Bella.

Dean turned to Sam, still on the ground. Sam's face was serene.

"Let's go home, Sam." Dean said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, it's been a couple weeks. Mainly because I was gone in Corpus Christi(for those of you who don't know, that's in Texas) for a week with no computer, then I came back sunday last week, but I had band camp all that week. If any of you are in marching band, you'll know that band camp is very exhausting and time consuming. So I was too tired to type anything. But I was thinking about it.

And then I turn on my laptop for the first time since I've been back, and BAM! Whip this out in one night. It was one of those chapters that I had been striving to work up to, and now that I got it, WOW! I don't mean to gloat, but to me this is a DAMN good chapter! Originally, it was just the whole Sam and Dean flying scene that excited me, but then I got worried when I couldn't find a good place to stop. Then Bella showed up and I just layed down that whole ending.

Honestly, the episode when she died in the end, I really felt sorry for her. So I felt it would be nice to give her salvation. What was that episode called? "Two minutes to midnight" or something like that? I don't know, but I don't think Dean ever figured out that she was sexualy harassed by her parents. I mean really, poor Abby.

Sorry for any gramatical or spelling errors, I type fast when I'm into it and bound to mess up. More will come, but school starts for me next week and I have to do all my summer homework this week. :P In the mean time, read, review, and enjoy!


	16. Seraphim

Sam and Dean make it back to the motel. The next day and night holds some shocking information, and the gathered hunters make their move against the brothers.

* * *

Sam woke up in the morning, not really sure how he had ended up back in his bed. But he put together the little fragments of memory that started coming back that Dean had zapped them home, and Sam pretty much collapsed onto the bed. Dean was sitting in the chair by the window, staring out into the rising sun. The silver veins on his face gave him an ancient, solemn look. His hair was now a darker shade of "California-surfer" blond, and his eyes were a faded, silvery-gray. The gold light of the sun mixing with the silver coming off Dean distorted his image, making him look like a pale old man and a young tan bachelor at the same time. Dean had a preoccupied and far away look on his face, obviously deep in thought.

Sam sat up and rubbed his eyes. Giving the usual morning sigh, Sam placed his hands on his knees. "So…releasing, huh?"

"Good morning to you too, Sam." Dean said looking at him.

"What's releasing, and how does that differ from just killing them?" Sam didn't know why he wanted to know, but it seemed like a pretty big deal last night.

"Releasing and killing are two different paths." Dean began, sitting forward and clasping his hands in front of him. "There are two other places to go when dying after death. One is Salvation, which is a river of energy that flows through the universe and recycles that energy on the planet. The other is called Oblivion."

Sam didn't like the sound of that.

"Oblivion is the darkness outside of Salvation, and it's worse than hell because all you are is nothing. Your soul and energy is destroyed, and every bit of you that ever was ceases to be."

"So all the demons we've been killing, they all went to…?" Sam didn't need to finish the question. Dean closed his eyes and nodded. Sam couldn't help feeling like some kind of merciless executioner. But there was nothing either of them could do, and they had never known.

"Angels go there, too." Dean continued. "But demons can't release angels, like we can to them. Only god can do that after we have been loyal to him. But since he stopped doing it to us, we stopped doing it to them. That's how the war with hell started. It's also the reason angels are so stuck up."

Sam wasn't comfortable with Dean talking about angels using "we". Sam got up and brushed his teeth. When he was groomed and ready, he and Dean packed up and walked out to the Impala. Checking out of the motel, they headed north, not really sure where they were headed, just knowing that staying on the move would throw off any hunters on their trail. Dean revealed to Sam that the ball of black energy that attacked them yesterday was actually a conjured malevolent spirit, probably by a hunter, and not Bella. She had been looking for them, and just so happened to show up when Sam was walking home through the woods.

"So hunters are using black magic to kill you?" Sam asked. He was driving, which Dean didn't have a problem with. Which just wasn't normal.

"It's wouldn't have killed me. But it will take at least a couple days for all those feathers to grow back." Dean rolled one shoulder. "And I guess you noticed that the changing accelerates when I use my power."

"Yeah I noticed that when I saw the silver mining process on your face going on." Sam smirked.

"Um, Sam." Dean asked hesitantly. "Other than the crash landing…again. Did you enjoy it?"

Sam turned to see Dean looking at him with interest, waiting for Sam's reply.

"It was kind of scary at first," Sam replied honestly. "But once we leveled out, it really was quite beautiful. It was like…like a dream, you know? I felt this freedom that I've never felt before."

Sam smiled at the memory of the feeling, and looked at Dean, who had a contented smile on his face. They sat in comfortable silence.

They made it through Utah and up into Idaho. On the west side if the Rockies, they found themselves in a almost bare valley, but the trees got thicker the closer they got to the bottom against the river. They decided to stop at a small halfway marker motel. Dean had to stay in the car while Sam went inside and checked in for them. Sitting in the car with his head down and his zippy-jacket hood up, the glow from Dean's face was just barely visible to any on-lookers. Dean didn't like this place. Something about it seemed wrong. He could have sworn he felt a certain suspicion that this place had just been a little _too_ convenient. Sam came back with the room key to see Dean glaring out the window at the building. Sam opened the door and got in.

"Hey, everything okay?" Sam asked, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. He looked at his hand. "Wow, talk about a cold shoulder."

Dean looked at Sam. An earlier inspection of Dean showed that the silver had spread across his back and chest, his entire left arm was silver, and the spaces between the silver branches on his right were beginning to fill in. His legs were silver as well.

"Nothing, I guess." Dean said distantly. He turned to look out the window again. Sam shrugged and drove around to the room. They unpacked and locked the car, then inserted the key into the slot and stepped inside

It wasn't that bad, they had lived in worse. At least this one had plain green walls instead of obnoxious wallpaper with fish or flowers on it. And there were no cockroaches, which was a major plus. The simple marble patterned beds were just begging to be slept on, promising an adequate nights sleep. Well, at least to Sam. Dean could have cared less. Angels don't sleep.

Sam noticed Dean cocking his head this way and that, and when Sam asked what he was doing, Dean answered, "I'm listening in on the other residence. There's at least sixteen other people here, give or take."

"Why are you listening in on strangers?" Sam asked skeptically.

Dean stopped moving his head and looked at Sam. Sam was starting to get tired of Dean looking at him like he was an inanimate object.

"Nothing, never mind." Dean turned and went to sit down in a chair. Sam scrunched his eyebrows together.

"It must be a human habit, since you can no longer feel the urge to keep you're feelings from me." Sam snapped. Dean sat down and looked up.

"I guess so." He said casually. "I don't have to tell you things, Sam. Even as an angel."

"I really wish you would, Dean." Sam was getting riled. "You've been acting weird ever since we got here, and even a little before that. There's something you're not telling me."

"There's nothing I'm not telling you. It's just the way I am now." Dean's eyes moved to the left, indicating that he was lying. Then moved to right, to contemplate the nothing Dean wasn't telling Sam.

"Uh-huh, sure." Sam rolled his eyes. "Angel's cant lie and get away with it, remember Dean."

Dean's expression and tone hadn't changed at all. "Sam, look. I hate to say it, but the issue I'm dealing with is way out of your league. I just need time to think through what I'm going to do and how to possibly solve-"

"Possibly." Sam snarks. "Dean, did you ever think that maybe I can help you _definitely_ solve your problem if you just let me know what it is?"

"Yes, I've gone through thousands of scenarios that include you, and none of them end well."

Sam gaped, hurt by his brothers bluntness. "But I can think of at least three scenarios that will stop the impending disaster. But you won't like any of them."

Sam was now more confused and scared than angry. "Impending disaster?"

"He doesn't want you to know that he's endangering the world, again." Came a voice from the corner of the room. Sam spun around to see a squat bald man in a suit.

"Zechariah." Sam growled. But something seemed different about him. Zechariah seemed more careful, more wary.

"Did I give you permission to enter?" Dean said, a sort of sharpness to his voice.

Zechariah bowed, actually _bowed_, and lowered his head. Sam realized that Dean was now Zechariah's superior. He had to do what ever Dean said. "Apologies, but I had to come to insist that you return to heaven, before the worst come to pass."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What? What the hell are you talking about?" Sam threw up his arms and held each out to either angel.

"Do you want to explain this or let me?" Dean held up a hand at Zechariah, and he lowered his eyes.

"Alright, Sam." Dean looked tired all of a sudden. "I'm powerful-"

"More powerful than you can imagine!" Zechariah blurted out. A look from Dean silenced him. Dean turned back to Sam.

"There are different types of angel." Dean continued. "They are separated into three different…choirs, if you will. Archangels, are in the third choir. I'm in the first. In fact, I'm at the top of the first choir."

Sam's jaw dropped. "Dean, what are you…?"

"Sam, my kind of angel is called a seraphim." Dean's eyes were unwavering. "We are the closest angels to god, and we are the ones that give all the orders. Seraphim usually never come to Earth, because we are supposed to be encircling gods throne." Dean held up his arm. "The silver light is actually the fire of seraphim royalty. In heaven, we are considered the 'fiery serpents of god.' When I went to heaven after being purified on the field, I was in god's throne room. Castiel could barely get to me, because no angel of the lower choir can look upon us. That is, unless we are in a human form."

Sam stared at his brother. It's almost as if he's staring at a giant, or the president, or Hitler. Dean was telling him to breath, but his voice seemed far away. Sam actually knew a good well deal about seraphim and angel orders, or choirs, as he guessed they were really called. What Dean had told him only added to the information, and deepened his understanding even more. Which in turn deepened his fear. Sam stumbled backward. Dean steps forward to help him up, but Sam scrambles away, uttering inaudible words. Dean steps back, able to see the fear in his brother's eyes. Dean knows this should leave an emotional scar on his heart, but it doesn't. He looks at Zechariah, and signals for him to carry on where Dean left off.

"Sam, listen." Zechariah says. Sam can't take his eyes off his brother, but he stops and doesn't do anything. "Your brothers powers are limited here on Earth, but they are building up, eating at his body, which you already knew. But what you need to know is that when a seraphim is killed on Earth, all that power takes manifestation as a white fire. The fire spreads, and nothing can stop it, not even the ocean. Sam if you're brother dies somehow on Earth, it could mean the end of the world."

Sam looks at Zechariah, and instantly knows that he's telling the truth.

"So, you brother has three options-" Zechariah stops short when Dean steps forward, waving off Zechariah like an obedient dog. Sam looks at his brother this time with out as much mind-numbing fear.

"So this means I have three options, like I said. But Sam, you're not going to like them." Dean continues, softening his face. "One; I can go back to heaven and assume a rightful place as a seraphim. Two; I can try to find god-And I will probably have a lot more luck than Castiel-and ask him to release me, which will put all my energy in the river. Or three; I can fall."

Sam blinked. "Yeah, you're right. I don't like them. In fact, that's an understatement. All three of them involve you leaving me."

"I know. But it will stop the world from burning…literally." Dean said, his expression stoic. "Sam, if I fall, I will find a way back to you, I promise. I have unlimited possibilities. I can go back in time, and fall just so I would be born again on my original birthday. And I can find you again in thirty years. I would be human, and we can go on with our lives."

"But Dean, don't you remember what happened to Anna?" Sam said quietly. "She couldn't remember a thing about who she used to be."

Dean shakes his head. "I'm much more powerful than that. I can keep my memories of before I became an angel, and transfer them with me into my new body. After thirty some-odd years, I can reawaken those memories, and lead myself back here."

"But, uh sir?" Zechariah cuts in. "The event of you falling would be colossal. Your grace would make an entire forest grow."

"Is that a bad thing?" Dean asks. Zechariah doesn't answer.

"Dean, I still think it's a bad idea. We can find other ways." Sam pleaded.

Dean shook his head again. "Those are my only options. But staying in heaven seems unpleasant, and being released…" Dean's eyes went foggy for a second. "No, release isn't an option either."

Sam could see the reasoning behind Dean's thinking. But, if Sam had to decide for his brother, then honestly, he would have told him to find god and ask to be released. Falling would indicate that Dean would grow with an entirely different childhood, probably a normal one at that. How could he ask Dean to give his normal life for a cursed on? It just wasn't fair to Dean. The more Sam thought about it, the more Sam didn't like it. And Sam didn't like the idea of Dean being used as a reading light for gods throne wasn't appealing to him either.

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, there was a knock on the door. Zechariah disappeared, and Sam and Dean looked at each other. It was ten o-clock at night, who would be knocking on their door?

Before either of them could find out, the door was kicked in and a grungy man with a shot gun, followed by other men and women piled into the room, they worked fast and efficient, knocking Sam down and restraining Dean with some sort of silver rope. Dean struggled a little, confusion overtaking his features.

"Don't even bother," The lead guy said, he was wearing a Colorado Rockies hat. "That rope was blessed by Zidiel himself a thousand years ago."

Dean stared at the hunter. "How did you get this?"

"Doesn't matter," Rockies Fan said. "You're not going anywhere."

Sam was tied up, too. Hunters held him up for the Rockies Fan to search him. He found the gun in the back of his waist band as well as the little skinning knife in his boot.

"Sam and Dean Winchester," Rockies Fan said, squaring him up. "It's almost an honor to meet you."

"What do you want?" Sam snarled. Rockies Fan shoved the but of his gun under Sam's chin, clamping his mouth shut.

"What do you think?" He hissed. "We're here for your brother."

* * *

A/N: Hey, so I know it's been a while. What can I say with school and band and all these other things going on, I haven't had time. Finally had a night without homework and took advantage of it.

Okay, yeah, sorry, I have to admit, but I think Zechariah might actually be a Seraphim as well. The description of their true forms is similar to what he described himself as, so technically speaking, that makes Dean and him equals. But not in this story. Pretend he's just another archangel, like I thought for so long. Sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors. In the meantime, read, review, and enjoy!


	17. Ascent

Dean and Sam are in serious trouble. Dean is forced to make a difficult decision, and Sam has to watch his brother suffer.

A/N: Really quick, before we get started. I'd like to thank Mooney Magnolia for the idea about the crazy angel. Thank you so much! Now get back to your own stories! Haha. No really, helped out more then there are words for. I was really stuck on that part, which also explains the huge delay. I'm so sorry about that. So I made this chapter as long and juicy as I possible could. So, with out further a due...

* * *

Rockies Fan, who's real name was actually Forrest, circled around the two brothers, who were now tied up in separate chairs at opposite ends of the room. Dean was still tied up in the blessed rope. Dean wasn't going to complain, but the ropes were a little tight, constricting his lungs. He had to give these guys credit, they sure came prepared. Sam was being watched by a woman hunter, she kept a knife ready at his shoulder in case he tried anything. The ten or so hunters had tied Dean to one of the hotel room chairs, and poured holy oil in a circle on the carpet. Surrounded by a ring of fire, Dean looked around him with a stoic look.

"Wow, all that's missing is the macho interrogator with the pointy stick." Dean said.

"Shut up," Forrest snapped. He hadn't said or done anything much, just mainly walked back and forth glaring at the walls.

"I don't know what your waiting for, Forrest," Dean said, ignoring the look his brother gave him. "But I don't think it's coming."

"I said, shut up." Forrest growled again.

Suddenly a man came bursting through the door. Well, he seemed more of a young adult than an actual man. There was barely any hair in his chin or cheek. He had something in his hands that was wrapped in paper.

"Bro, I got it." He said. "It wasn't easy, but would have been impossible without the connections we got."

"Good work, Oliver." Forrest said, taking the package with the paper.

"Connections? What kind of connections, Finnigan?" Dean asked.

Forrest ignored him, but unwrapped the package. From within, he drew what looked like an ordinary angel knife. Dean scoffed.

"You really think one of those is going to kill me?"

"You really think we're here to kill you?" Forrest snapped back. Dean gave him a look. "Well, you'd be right."

"But if you kill him, it'll be the end of the world!" Sam burst.

"So I've heard." Forrest shrugged. "Not too worried about that. Just so long as angel-man gets ganked."

"Why?" Sam asked incredulously. "What did angel's do to you?"

"Angel's destroyed everything, that we held dear." Forrest growled loudly. "Not just me, but everyone in this room."

Everyone nodded.

"And now we have the means and the tools to accomplish our purpose."

"Oh?" Dean perked up. "And what purpose is that?"

The look in Forrest's eyes darkened, along with the other 10 or so people in the room. Forrest crept up right next to the edge of the holy fire that encircled Dean.

"You ever heard of Bernael?" Forrest asked darkly. Dean paled at the name.

"Yes, I have." Dean answered. "He's a fallen angel that went crazy in his descent."

"He's the fallen angel of darkness and evil." Forrest continued. "In his descent, he attacked families that he thought had turned away from the lord, and made them suffer their sins."

Forrest started circling around Dean, but his gaze was cast to the floor.

"Five families were persecuted and destroyed by Bernael's madness." Forrest spread his arms to indicate his fellow hunters. "This is all that's left of the aftermath of his chaos. We all have banded together, and sworn to destroy any descending angels that we can get our hands on, before more families are destroyed."

Dean finally looked up at Forrest. "You're intentions are good, friends. A great injustice was brought upon you." Dean's tone had completely changed from sarcastic and relaxed to careful and serious. "But I am not descending into darkness, and am doing this on my own will. It won't drive me insane."

"That's where you're wrong." Oliver spoke up. "At your ranking, trying to get to human will be just the same as any other angel descending. We've seen it before."

"But-"

"But what? You're different? You think you can control yourself when the need to rid the world of evil becomes so strong you lash out at the tiniest impurity or disgrace with all your power? Or when your not satisfied with your human status and your guilt makes you go around claiming yourself as an angel of the lord?" Forrest glared at Dean. "You're not different. You're the same as all the others, who thought they were different, too."

"He's got me."

Forrest spun around and faced Sam, the hunter holding the knife to his throat raised the pressure a little. Forrest raised a hand and the hunter backed off.

"What can you do?" Forrest said with a scowl.

"I can be there, to keep him under control. Remind him who he is." Sam said this more to Dean than to Forrest. "He'll listen to me, I can make sure that he becomes a human again."

Forrest stared at Sam for the longest time. Contemplating. Then he scowled again and spun away.

"That's not good enough." He looked at his little brother. "Start it, Oliver."

Oliver held up the paper that the knife had been wrapped in and started reading something that was written on the inside. It was obviously Enochian, Sam couldn't detect any Latin in it at all. He began to wonder if the language of the angels could really be used to repel angel's as high ranking as Dean. Didn't that only work on Cas-leveled angels?

Apparently not, because Dean started to squirm in his seat and his breath hitched in his chest more than a couple of times. Forrest knelt down and held the angel knife over the flames of the holy fire. The entire knife completely turned a blazing gold, and the more Oliver chanted, the higher the flames burned. Other hunters also stepped forward and put the barrel's of their shot guns or the blades of their knives in the flames, and it had a similar effect. The woman at Sam's side didn't move.

Dean threw his head back and screamed, at the same time the windows burst open and a continuous gust of wind burst into the room. The flames flickered but did not go out. Dean threw his head from side to side with gritted teeth. The silver spread across his face and his hair turned platinum blonde, almost completely white. The shadow of his wings spread against the wall, flapping wildly. But this time, there were also two other pairs of wings underneath the top largest pair. Everyone stared at the display, even Oliver stopped chanting to look up.

Dean's entire form was glowing. His clothes were starting to burn off. Silver started to branch away from Dean's body, revealing the physical appearance of Deans six wings. Though the transformation did not complete all the way, it was pretty apparent just how big-and lethal-Dean's wings were.

Forrest growled at Oliver to continue. Oliver stumbled to find his place in the incantation. Dean snapped his silver head forward with an angered look on his face. His largest pair of wings rushed forward and sent a huge gust of wind at Oliver. Oliver was knocked back a little and the piece of paper flew out of his hands. The paper fluttered around for a little and then landed across the burning line. It immediately burst into flames. Oliver cried out at it, hands on the side of his head.

"Forget about it. We got what we need." Forrest said holding up the gold knife.

Sam decided to act. He threw off the ropes that he had managed to cut through with the pocket knife in his back pocket. For people with a lot of connections, they sure weren't thorough. Sam grabbed the knife of the hunter, who had let the knife off Sam to see if she could help Oliver, and twisted the hand into a painful locking position. The hunter cried out and Sam slammed the side of his hand down on the side of the hunter's neck. She passed out immediately.

A woman rushed at Sam, her gun held to club at him with the butt. Sam raised his arm and blocked her swing, then sent an underhand punch into her gut. While she was doubled over, Sam pushed her into the nearest wall. She hit the wall hard and slumped to the ground.

When Sam spun around to see Dean, he froze.

Forrest was now inside the circle of holy fire. The gold knife was held against the silver skin of Dean's neck, and he had a wild look in his eyes.

"Don't move!" He yelled across at Sam.

Sam's hands immediately flew up, and a few seconds later someone took out the back of his knees to make him kneel on the floor in front of Forrest. Oliver had a gun trained on the back of Sam's head.

"Don't you try anything either, silver-boy." Forrest hissed at Dean.

Dean looked like he was barely awake. His skin reflected like that of a mirror, and his eyes were clear and a pale blue. He looked like he did in Sam's dream, which practically sent a cement block into Sam's stomach. In his dream, Dean had died. Which would mean the end of the world, engulfed in white flame.

Dean's eyes snapped open all of a sudden, and a shockwave sent Forrest and Oliver and all other hunters crashing into the nearest walls. The blessed ropes tied around Dean disintegrated, and the flames of the holy fire circle withered into wisps of smoke. Dean stood, and Sam looked up at his brother, his mouth agape. Dean stared back, but didn't say anything.

Suddenly Dean gasped as a gold tip burst through the silver skin of his chest, right where his heart was. Sam cried out, and Forrest's deranged smile appeared over Dean's shoulder. Forrest tugged the knife back out and stabbed again, this time higher and to the right, getting just under Dean's clavicle. Sam shot to his feet and lunged at Forrest, hands around the other man's throat. Sam forced Forrest back against the wall with a sudden surge of strength. He bashed Forrest's head back against the wall until the man was unconscious, and even a little past that. Then he spun around and saw Dean stumbling for the door.

Sam rushed after him, and so did all the rest of the hunters in the room. Dean seemed to be stumbling, but he moved much faster than Sam running after him, and Sam would have lost him in the darkness of the woods if it wasn't for the silver light he gave off. The other hunters were stealthy in following Dean, while Sam just crashed through the woods towards his brother. Dean's light separated the darkness. There were more details now than in Sam's dream, cause now he could see the white blood pumping out of Dean's chest. All six of his wings drooped to the ground, and Sam could have sworn that he saw a few of the feathers pop off and burst into white flame.

Sam finally caught up and grabbed Dean's shoulder. The skin was so cold it actually burned Sam's hand. Dean turned to face him, his pale blue eyes giving away just exactly the unimaginable amount of pain he was in. There was a gunshot and the skin on Dean's left shoulder burst open, white blood spattering across Sam's face. Dean screamed, and it seemed to rip the life out of Sam and the trees around him. There was another gunshot, this one probably from a shot gun filled with buckshot, and Dean's chest exploded. More blood spattered across Sam's clothes and skin, one drop even landing in his mouth.

Dean fell face forward into the leaves, and his wings spread out at the different levels of length. His light faded fast, leaving all the hunters and Sam in total darkness.

Sam dropped to the ground and felt around. His hands in came touch with something wet and squishy. Sam gulped, tasting the drop of Dean's angel blood. Sam moved his hands along what he guessed was Dean's bare back, his fingers running across the different sets of wings until he got to the nape of Dean's neck.

Sam slowly moved his hands to Dean's face, searching for his mouth or nose. He prayed that Dean was still breathing, and when he placed his fingers in front of his lips, he felt no hot air flow.

Sam's heart broke, he pulled his lips back to suck in air and tried to steady himself for the onslaught of emotions. Tears welled in his eyes, and his face became hot. But then heard a noise and froze.

"Sam…" It was very faint, and very fast. "Cover your eyes."

Dean's body suddenly burst into light. Sam couldn't help but stare into the brilliance. It was starting, the end of the world. Sam could already see the white flames start to eat at his brother's body. Sam closed his eyes and waited for the flames to catch him.

There was a sharp flap sound and Sam opened his eyes to see all six wings standing straight up. Dean's body arched up, his face tilting towards the sky. His eyes were completely white and glowing brightly, and there was a bright light coming from his mouth. The rest of his body soon followed suit. The light from Dean shot towards the sky, and his brother went up in the shaft of light, taking the Armageddon flames with it. Sam had to cover his eyes against the white light, but lowered his arm to look up into the sky to see the fading trail of his brothers ascension. Sam knelt in the darkness, lost, scared, and once again, alone.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for any spelling or grammatical error. Okay, so you probably hate me for the terrible cliffy. But since I have gotten over my writers block-for now- we can move along. supernaturalsammy67! I haven't forgotten about you! You're idea will be in the next chapter! Thank you as well, for the awesome idea. As for the rest of you, read, review, and enjoy!


	18. Strange One

Dean's in heaven, and nothing can be done to save him. But then...he's back, and Sam is waiting for him.

* * *

The light that surrounded Dean would have made any being-demon, human, or even lesser angel- burst into flames. But not him. He and his fellow seraphim could handle it, mostly because the light that was being emitted came from within them.

Dean wasn't really happy to be back in the throne room, where he had been when he had been purified. But he'd had no choice. It had either been burn the world down, with Sam in it. Or finally succumb to his angel calling and return to heaven. Dean sacrificed his body, which was never going to come back, and went to be a reading light for god's lay-z boy. Even if Dean could make another body for himself, the hardest part would be getting out of heaven. It had been hard enough as it was the first time.

The other seraphim remained at their post around god's throne, which was empty. But they all stared at Dean, the eyes from each of their four heads inspecting the new arrival. Dean in turn used his four heads to survey his companions. His lion head saw the two Old Ones, who were graying at the mouth and had faded feathers. His eagle eyes saw the two Strong Ones, the features on each of their heads and bodies defined and muscular. His human eyes saw the Dark One, who had a black man's head and in turn a black lion's mane, brown eagles feathers, and a black snakes scales. Dean was almost reminded of the picture he saw of Bob Marley on people's shirts. His snake head saw the Young One. Though Dean's features defined him as older than her, she had been around far longer than Dean could even imagine. All of them either had red or blue wings, except for the dark one, whose wings were indigo.

The Strange One knew each of their names, but nobody in this choir used them. They had no authority to. They just called each other "friend", and "comrade", and other such things. The Strange One ruffled the burnished-gold feathers of his six wings. He didn't like everyone watching him the way they did. One of the Old Ones, the female, finally addressed him.

"Welcome, brother." She said. Though her tone was full of welcome, but her snake eyes betrayed her emotionlessness. "We've been expecting you. We have your position prepared." The Dark One and the Young One moved farther apart. So that was to be his position, for the rest of eternity. Seraphim don't get bored, because they're too busy ordering the other billions of angels around. Butthe Strange One still felt a sense of rebellion. When he didn't move, the male Strong One moved forward. They all weren't flying, but they weren't standing.

"Friend, in order for the circle of order to be complete, you must take your place." He said, his golden eagle eyes bore into the Stange One. The Strange One knew he couldn't take him in a fight, there was a reason he was "the Strong One". Not only that, but a fight between seraphim would be immensely catastrophic. The Strange One still said nothing.

All the Stange One knew was that if he took his place, then there was no going back. Sammy would be stuck on earth alone until he died, and he would be stuck in heaven until…god released him? Until he and the other angels finally give up and leave earth? The Strange One didn't know for sure, but he stalled as long as possible.

Young One smiled at him. Her human face was cute, and her lioness mane was elegant. The Strange One could think the only good thing of taking his place was that it was next to her. But…it was also next to the Dark One. Dark One stared at the Strange One, negative feelings swimming in his eyes. Dark One returned the Strange One's stare, and said in a deep voice, "If the order is not complete, than the chain of command will be broken, and all the spirits in heaven will be destroyed.

The Dark One was right, the Strange one knew that. The Strong One's and the Old Ones nodded in agreement. This was the worst possible scenario, mainly because if heaven burned, then so would earth and hell. There was a balance that needed maintaining that only the seraphim and god knew about. As a human, Dean was good at taking worst-possible case scenario's and finding an alternative route. But this time, there was no other decision. the Strange One hung his heads and drooped his feathers. He was never going to see Sammy again, and for a moment, the Strange One could have sworn he almost felt a deep sadness within him. But, at least this way, he could have a better way to protect his brother. He started to move towards his spot.

"Dean…" a huge voice shook the throne room, and startled the seven seraphim. No one used their real names, it was forbidden. Only one person could do that…

The Stange One immediately shut his eyes. So did the other seraphim. Even they, who were closest to god, were not allowed to look on his true form. A presence enveloped him, it was warm, and the strongest love the Strange One had ever felt. The presence picked him up and carried him away from the rest of the seraphim and the throne room. But the Strange One never even dared to open his eyes.

"Dean, my son…" The huge voice said again. The Strange One gulped, the voice sounded so familiar, but it also took on a voice of that from a man of a distant memory.

"Father?" He asked tentatively. Although his eyes were closed, he could almost feel god's smile. "But I don't understand, why are you using that voice?"

God, who was using the voice of John Winchester, replied, "So that I might remind you of who you really are." The warmth around the Stange One shifted, cradling him, holding him like a babe.

"Dean, this is not the existence for you." God explained, sympathy laced in his words. "Although you would make a spectacular leader to my legions, you have an even greater purpose to fulfill."

"But, father…" The Strange One actually felt confused. God must have been allowing emotions at the moment, so they could have an actual heart to heart. "If I wasn't meant for this, then why did you let it happen? Why did you let Zechariah give Castiel that vial?"

God didn't say anything, probably thinking about his reply.

"Dean, do you remember when John tried to teach you how to ride a bike?"

The Stange One was a little taken aback. What did that have to do with anything? But he remembered. John had tried to teach how to ride a bike when Dean was around seven, in attempts to have at least a taste of normal childhood. He had rented the bike, and taken Dean to the park, where they tried to get Dean moving. It was a pretty big struggle.

"Yes father, I remember." Dean nodded. His eyes were still closed.

"Do you recall what exactly he did?"

"Yes father, he put his hands on my hips and shoulders and held me steady, running beside me as we started going." The Strange One smiled a little at the memory. "He kept telling me to keep peddling, and don't turn the handle bars until I was balanced."

"And you did." God laughed. The sound was like the complete personification of "euphoria".

"But in the end, how did you learn to stay up right?"

The Strange One thought for a second. "When we got going fast enough, or if he thought I was steady, Dad would let go of me and let me ride for a distance. And each time he let go, I would ride farther and farther."

"Yes, Dean, and soon, you didn't need him to hold you steady anymore. You could ride on your own, and go great distances and see many things." God's tone turned serious. "I can't always be there to make sure that you don't fall down, and you-everybody-has to know how to pick yourself back up again and get back on."

The Stange One thought about the metaphor. "So your saying that we all have to learn to be independent and take care of ourselves. That we need to grow up and go the distance."

The Stange One felt God smile again.

"I'm sending you back Dean, because you have a job to do." Then God turned sad all of a sudden. "Believe me, son, if it wasn't the apocalypse, then I would release you into salvation. But as of now, your destiny has been rewritten. When you arrive on earth, you will still have your angel powers. You will understand why later, when the time calls for it. Go back to your brother, watch after him, and protect yourself for the future to come. You will not remember a thing from this conversation. I pray you always believe that I do in fact love you."

The Strange One was about to cry out. There were still so many questions he had! But near the end, John Winchester's voice got farther and farther away, and Dean felt like he was falling. The Strange One finally opened his eyes to see a light getting farther and farther away, the darkness surrounding him.

Dean smiled. For the first time in his life, he thanked god. He was going to see Sammy again.

* * *

Sammy opened his eyes to the textured ceiling above. He sat up in bed and looked down at his hands. He didn't know what he was expecting to find in the lines that creased the palms of his hands. Maybe the short curve and the abrupt stop of his love line would reveal why he always ended up alone, or maybe the depth of his wide arching life line would finally admit the truth that he would live the rest of his days out in solitude. The only promise was the head line that completely halved his palm. But what good was smarts if he couldn't share it with anybody?

Sam got up and brushed his teeth. After his morning grooming routine he packed up his stuff and was about to head out the door of the motel room that still had the circle of singed carpet where the holy fire had burned. He walked over to the nightstand and picked up something that shimmered in the new sunlight. He had almost forgotten.

Sam held up the burnished gold feather to his face. The reflective follicles acted like a mirror. Sam saw his face in it. He had seen the feather shimmering in the moonlight, and picked it up. Turned out the little guy was one of the lucky ones that didn't burst into flames when it touched the ground. But the burned edges on the top showed that it had tried to. Sam pocketed the feather, and headed out of the room. Before he left, he turned around and looked at the room one last time. It was the last place he had seen Dean alive and well. But he had waited long enough. It was time to move on. Again.

Sam turned around and walked out to the car. The Impala was parked in the same spot it had always been. He tossed his duffel over his shoulder and took a couple steps.

Suddenly there was a blinding light surrounded Sam. Sam covered his eyes. The light pin-pointed to a spot on the street, the asphalt melted under the light. The light started to collect at a certain point in the beam of light. It condensed and grew until it represented a human form. The light form darkened and solidified, and the figure dropped to the ground on its face when the light disappeared. Sam gaped.

The figure slowly regained consciousness. Sam dropped his bag and rushed to his side. The man pushed himself up and over, facing Sam.

"Hiya, Sammy." Dean said with an exhausted grin.

"Dean…" Sam gasped. "You're back."

Dean grunted as Sam helped him up. When they were both standing up straight, Sam grabbed Dean into a full on hug.

"Whoa, Sammy." Dean said patting him twice on the back. "What's with the gush fest? I was only in heaven for a couple hours."

Sam pulled back, shock eminent on his face.

"Dean…" Sam said. "I've been waiting for you to come back for two months!"

* * *

A/N: Short-ish chapter, but it's better then nothing, right? But the story not gonna end here, no sir-ee! So sit tight and thank you so much for hanging with me. Who else is excited for the new season on friday? I can't wait! And yes, I do know how to read palms. Please read, review, and enjoy!


	19. Blood War

Dean's back on earth, and still has his angel powers. But now, something's not right with Sam.

* * *

"So I guess time in heaven in slower and time in hell is faster." Sam speculated, seated comfortably in the passenger seat in the Impala. They were headed back to Bobby's, wanting to check in, let him know they were okay, since they're phones had been drowned. Ellen had probably tipped him off that hunters were after the Winchester boys, too. Dean admitted to remembering the throne room in heaven, but when it came to how he got out, his mind went fuzzy and blank. He still had his angel mojo, but he didn't seem to actually _be_ an angel anymore. He slept, he ate, and he could feel emotions.

Right now, nothing was making sense.

"Yeah, I guess so." Dean answered automatically. It felt good to actually be driving again. Then he turned to Sam. "Why did you stay in that hotel for so long? You must have gone through several credit cards to pull that off."

"After you…left, I didn't know what to do. You said something about going back to the past and falling, so I thought my best move would be to stay put, and wait for you to come find me. I even did research to see if I could find any fallen stars or comets in 1978. But there was nothing recorded. So I waited."

Dean thought about it, giving a little "huh" as he found the logic in Sam's thinking. If Dean had fallen, he would have had the power to store his memories away with a timed seal on them. Then when the day he shot up to heaven came, those memories would unlock and reveal themselves. It wasn't a completely fool-proof plan, but if any angel could have pulled it off, then it would have been Dean.

"You've still got your angel powers. What do you want to do?" Sam gave Dean a concerned look. Dean's brow knit together in confusion.

"What do you mean, 'what do I want to do'?" Dean asked sternly.

"I'm asking…you want to try to get rid of them or not." Sam hesitated, hoping the question wasn't lingering on dangerous grounds.

Dean just stared again, deep in thought. After a while he said, "Nah. I think I'll hang onto them for a little while longer."

"But Dean there's no point. We're so close to getting you back to human-"

"Sam stop. It's not personal; I just have this feeling in my gut that says I will need them later. For something important…"

Sam sat back and sighed. He really wasn't in the mood to argue. Truth be told, he felt really exhausted. It's not like he had done anything strenuous in the last couple of months, in fact quite the opposite. Sam felt as if he were _overly_-tired, the feeling someone gets when they sleep too much.

Sam yawned. His face was a little pale, and he didn't really eat much. All he really wanted to do was sleep. He had slowed down a lot, _a lot_, and Sam didn't really know why. Dean noticed, but he had just declared that it was because of the 'absence of his awesomeness' that was degenerating Sam. Sam laughed. It was good to have Dean back.

Once they pulled up to Bobby's, they found a note on the door that said: _Dear Idjits, I heard about your little problem. I think you can handle it. If you need a place to hole up, feel free to use the panic room. In Virginia hunting a werewolf. Don't burn down the house._

Sam and Dean smiled at Bobby's fatherly humor. They walked inside, turned a couple lights on and went into the basement. The panic room was unneeded, so they raided Bobby's arsenal of hunting gear. He had a huge closet filled with lots of salt, holy water, crucifixes, salt rounds, as well as other stuff that Sam and Dean hadn't even seen. Maces from the medieval era that had silver driven into the spikes, spears with Native American writing that had long, dark blue feathers on it. They didn't touch this stuff. They had what they needed, and it usually worked out fine.

Sam yawned again. He felt extra tired today, and his eyelids had nearly drifted closed while he was walking or standing. Maybe he should ask Dean if they could stay the night at Bobby's, and head out in the morning. He just wanted to sleep, he felt so tired…

Sam fell forward on the floor, spilling the box of holy water jars that he had been carrying up from the basement. Bobby's rug was dusty, but at least it was comfortable. Maybe he could just rest his eyes, then get back up before Dean came in. Yeah, he would count to five, then he would get back up.

1…

2….

3…3 ½….

4….4 ¾….

…

Dean came back in after hearing a crash and a huge thump. He rolled his eyes. Sasquatch probably fell down the stairs, again. Honestly, Sam had more body mass than he knew what to do with. He walked back inside, walking into the living room about ready to say loudly "smooth move", but stopped short when he saw Sam in a heap on the floor. He scrambled down next to him, and grabbed his brother, turning him over in his arms. Sam's eyes were closed and his breathing was light. There was no blood, no bruises, no sign of assault at all.

Dean closed his eyes and focused his angel powers on Sam's mind, everything was a slow, lazy haze. So Sam wasn't unconscious, he was just sleeping.

Sleeping? At a time like this? No normal person just starts walking and suddenly falls asleep. But Dean found something that wasn't normal in Sam's mind. It was this little white speck, and it seemed to be in the shape of a feather. The feather was going around and it was wiping away Sam's mind. It spread throughout, taking down all of Sam that stood in it's way. It broke through the walls of Sam's mind, started flooding his mind, scrubbing away the soul, eating at the body.

Dean left Sam's mind and stared down at his brother in horror.

"Sammy, what going on?" Dean whispered.

Sam just kept on sleeping. He didn't even wake when Dean lugged him onto the couch. There was no movement behind his eyelids, which meant that Sam wasn't dreaming. Dean could have put a hand on his shoulder, sent a surge of power through his brother that would have woken him up. But Dean didn't know how that would affect what he saw in Sam's mind. Had his brother somehow been cursed? Was he under some sort of spell? He hadn't been doing anything in the past couple of months, so no new enemies that would want some revenge.

Dean shook his head. If he still had his angel status, then he could have just ordered a bunch of angels to find the problem. And they would have done it in a split second, and also told him how to fix it.

Sam stirred a little. Dean knelt down next to his brother and watched as Sam slowly came back to consciousness. Sam slowly opened his eyes, which were strangely devoid of color.

"Hey Sam," Dean said gently. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Dean…?" Sam was just barely awake. Dean could already see the next waves of sleep lapping at his mind. "What happened?"

"You conked out." Dean smiled. "Dropped dead and just slept."

Sam yawned. "I'm not surprised. I've been exhausted for a couple months now."

"But why?" Dean asked. "There's something in you, Sam. It's tearing you apart and I can't stop it."

"Dean…" Sam tried to interrupt, but Dean was on a roll.

"Like, I tried to flush it from your system to see if it would die, but it only seemed to get stronger."

"Dean." Sam was getting annoyed.

"I wonder how it even got there in the first place…"

"Dean!"

For the first time, Dean noticed that Sam actually had something to say. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, what?"

"I have a theory." Sam's eyes were half closed. "You're no gonna like it."

"Just lay it on me, Sam. I think I can take it."

"Before you…went up, you got shot a couple of times. Do you remember that?" Sam asked.

Dean did remember. He remembered feeling the bullet penetrate the flesh on his shoulder. Dean didn't remember feeling this much pain when he had been shot before. His blood immediately started burning, and the muscles retracted away from the impure lead. Then there was the buckshot blast to his chest that followed. A few of the pellets had hit his heart and lungs, which immediately started flooding with blood. Dean shivered at the thought.

"Yeah, I remember." Dean said solemnly.

"During one of those shots, your blood went flying everywhere. And…I think one drop may have landed in my mouth."

Dean froze, sitting up straight, as if a ramrod had been replaced as his spine.

"I think I swallowed it." Sam continued. "And now there's like a mini angel-blood vs. demon-blood war going on in my veins, and the demon side is losing."

Dean leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of his mouth. "The angel blood is tearing you apart. Shutting you down. Do you feel any pain?"

Sam shook his head. His eyes were closed, but his breathing portrayed that he was in fact still conscious. Barely.

"No. Like I said. I'm just really…" Sam yawned again. "…really tired."

Dean sat back. He wasn't feeling pain, which was the least Dean could ask for. But now the question was; how does he get the angel blood out of Sam, before it puts him to sleep forever?

Dean's vast expanse of knowledge that he had as an angel was gone. Frustrated, Dean stood up and left Sam, who had fallen asleep again, to search about in Bobby's library for anything at all. But there was only so much written about demon-blooded humans being infected by angel blood.

Dean felt something nagging in the back of his mind that he had the means to cure Sam, he just didn't know what it was. Having no other option, it was time to call Castiel.

* * *

A/N: So yeah, I meant to update this like a week ago, but my stupid internet got lazy. So here you go. Not the greatest or longest chapter, and sorry about the ending, but if it helps get from point A to point B then that's fine. Let me know what you guys think about the plot! Its getting a little iffy. In the mean time, read, review, and enjoy!


	20. Reverse

Sam won't wake up, and Dean is desperate for a cure. Castiel presents a solution, but it's risky...

* * *

Castiel showed up almost immediately after Dean called out his name. Castiel did a quick diagnosis of Sam. He put his hand on his chest, looked into his eyes, did a mind sweep of his conscious. The usual angel check up. Then he turned to Dean.

"The angel blood is slowly shutting him down." Castiel said softly. "In any normal human, they would go through a mini purification process, but since Sam has demon blood in him, it's killing him from the inside out."

"Is it mine?" Dean asked. The deep look in his eyes said to Castiel that this was only thing he really wanted to know. "Is it my angel blood that's killing him?"

"Yes." Castiel said. "Before whoever it was who turned you human, but left you with your powers."

"How do we save him?" Dean asked.

"Dean I-"

"How, Cas?" Dean demanded. "My angel powers can't heal him, and I can't just leave him, so what am I supposed to do?"

Castiel took a step back when Dean advanced on him. He held up his hands. "Dean, the only way that I can think of to help your brother is…"

"What is it, Cas?"

"Give him the means to fight back. Give him what makes him stronger."

"You mean, demon blood?" Dean's voice was raising. "Are you serious?"

"It makes sense Dean and you know it." Castiel shot back. "That's the only way I can help you Dean. I'm not seeing any other choice."

Dean looked away from Cas, worry and sadness in his eyes. He looked at Sam's pale sleeping form. He was breathing really slowly, and so deeply that it looked like he wasn't breathing at all. It almost looked like he was dead.

"But Dean, I should tell you," Castiel said, also a look of sadness on his face. "At this stage of the process, Sam doesn't look like he has very long. If you are going to give him demon blood I suggest one that is high in ranking."

There was no reply from Dean for a long time. His back was turned to Cas, so he couldn't see his face.

"How high?" Dean asked suddenly.

"I would suggest either a tedlar, or an inferno-" Castiel thought. But Dean cut him off.

"How about an arch demon?"

"Dean one of those will be very hard to come by." Castiel shook his head.

Dean spun around, his face dark and serious. "You've got the equivalent of one standing right here."

Castiel stared at Dean, then finally understood what Dean was getting at. "Dean your powers have increased ten fold since you got your demon essence restored to you. You're way past the ranking of arch demon."

"But I won't technically be a demon." Dean reasoned. "I'll just have the powers of one."

"No Dean. The essence also has influence over the mind and the body, not just the soul." Castiel countered. "Imagine all that power being converted to demon form, and then the same transformation process happening in three minutes. That power and madness will be a much greater threat to humanity."

"Then you can just remove the essence before I lose control." Dean said. "You guys removed it before, you can do it again."

"Even if we could extract and contain that much power-"

"I know you can." Dean said, passive.

"Alright, but if we did, it would not only be a very difficult and dangerous process for us, but also very painful for you." Castiel had a warning tone.

"I don't care," Dean looked at Sam. "If one drop of my demon blood is all it takes to get Sammy better, then I don't care."

"Dean this is very reckless and dangerous." Castiel continued.

"You're not going to talk me out of this idea, Castiel." Dean shook his head with finality. "Get the people and things you need. We do this tomorrow night, or as soon as possible."

Castiel stared at Dean, and then finally nodded. Castiel turned to go, but Dean grabbed his shoulder.

"Cas, if the worst happens, and I escape and loose control, then I want you to…"

"It will be difficult, Dean, but I promise I will kill you before you end the world." Castiel said monotone.

Dean nodded is head once, and let Castiel go. When he was gone, Dean turned and walked over to Sam's bedside. He placed a hand on his sleeping brothers shoulder.

"Don't worry Sammy." Dean said softly. "I'm going to make you alright. Just you wait and see."

* * *

Castiel returned a couple nights later. There were several dozens of angels with him. They all looked at Dean with an expression between fear and respect. Dean couldn't blame them. This was probably going to be the most dangerous thing the angels have ever dealt with. Dean didn't care. If it meant saving his brother, then he'd do it ten times over.

They took Dean to a very secure place. And by secure, Dean figured Armageddon lock down, from the inside. Salt and iron were the walls and floor. Holy water icicles were hanging from the ceiling. Binding seals were everywhere. Dean observed curiously how the devils trap that covered the center of the wide floor had ten points instead of five. The high ceiling and the far spaced walls, Dean thought they might have been over compensating.

"Don't be so sure." Castiel said. "Your demon form now will most likely be cramped in this building."

Dean didn't even look at Castiel. He just nodded, and stared at the icicles.

"We ready to do this?" He asked, facing Castiel and the rest of the angels. The angels stared at the human-turned-demon, turned-angel, and about to be turned-demon again.

"Are you ready Dean?" Castiel asked, a sad look on his face. "You do know, that if we don't accomplish this, then we will use what ever means to stop you."

"The main thing that matters is that some of my blood gets to Sam." Dean gave all of them a hard look. "Doesn't matter if it's from the arm or the jugular, just so long as it's red and fluid."

While the others got into position, Dean and Castiel went over the plan. They would change Dean's angel essence back into demon essence. This in turn would trigger a chain reaction throughout his being, and turn his soul, mind, and will to that of a demons as well. With all these changes, it will start a very fast-and very painful-transformation. After the transformation, they had to restrain him and get some of his blood. The last step would be to subdue him, and extract the essence, once and for all. Castiel would then take the essence and have it destroyed.

Angels were posted everywhere. Some were flying outside the huge devils tap, some were in the rafters of the ceiling, and many were outside. They didn't know what a demon of Dean's level's true form was, and had no idea the strength it possessed. Extra precautions were taken, and extra precautions on those extra precautions were also taken.

Dean took his spot in the center of the circle. He could feel the power seeping through the devils trap on the floor. It was hefty, but was it enough to conceal Dean?

Dean couldn't go back now. It had to be now. Sam didn't have much longer, and there was no other way. He turned to face the front of the room. Castiel stood ready. Dean nodded, allowing him to begin.

Castiel started chanting one line, and after each set of lines, more angels joined in. Dean felt the blood rushing through him, starting at his heart, and spreading through his limbs. The feeling of his blood moving through his veins was very unsettling. The candles that were lit around the room started to go out, and Dean winced a little at the rising in is heart rate, rushing his blood uncomfortably throughout his entire body.

The angel chanting grew in volume, and towards the end, Dean's ears were ringing and he was seeing red. The angels finally rang out in one final word, and silence followed after. As soon as the angels stopped chanting, the sensations Dean was feeling ended. All the angels took their battle ready stance, and looked at Dean like they were waiting for him to explode. But Dean felt nothing. In fact, it still felt like his angel powers were still intact.

"You sure you got all of that, Cas?" Dean quirked his eyebrow.

"Absolutely." Castiel glared at Dean. He too, had his angel knife drawn.

"Well, it seems like your order is incomplete."

"Don't be so sure, Dean."

Dean licked his lips and froze. His teeth had sharpened into jagged fangs. When he looked down, his hands had claws as long and thick as a chap stick tube. His skin was turning a dark gray, and a strange inner red light was shining underneath. Dean stared dumbfounded at his arms, as the change quickly spread over his body. Then the pain finally came.

Dean crumpled to the ground and tried to suppress a scream. When he opened his eyes again, molten red light deluded his eyes. The light leaked from his eyes, and that horrible glare was equaled with an even more terrifying roar.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I'm trying to keep this story from dying, and one way to do that is to turn Dean into a demon again! haha but it's not like the story is going to start all over. I'm pretty sure that its all heading towards one big conclusion, whether that's five or fifteen chapters from now. So next chapter should be soon. Read, review, and enjoy!


	21. Inferno

The battle against the ultimate demon begins, and Castiel and the other angels are in for the fight of their lives.

* * *

Castiel and the rest of the angels watched as Dean's skin got darker and darker, his form solidified, even his hair and clothes turning to molten stone. He struggled against it, grunting and growling. But the rock got harder and harder, and there was silence as Dean became trapped on his own skin. The angels were still, poised as if waiting for the inevitable shock wave. Nothing happened. They started to relax.

Castiel examined Dean. That couldn't have been it, could it? He took a step closer, into the elaborate devils trap. He froze. He could have sworn that the statue of Dean had turned it's head. He knew he wasn't mistaken when it did it again. Dean's head gave a violent jerk, a crack appearing along his neck with red light gushing through.

"Prepare yourselves!" Castiel commanded. "Show no mercy!"

The red light spread to Dean's body in an elaborate jagged pattern. The individual stones separated as Dean's form grew larger and larger, molten lava flowing underneath. His clothes burned off, and the more Dean thrashed around, the brighter his inner light seemed to glow. Dean's feet had morphed into cloven hooves, horns had sprouted from the top of his head and curled over his head and under his ears. His lower jaw jutted out more than his top, the teeth growing in length.

The entire building shook with Dean's every growl and roar. The holy water icicles directly above Dean started to melt, and the cold water that rained down on him turned into steam, but didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He was almost to the ceiling now, his features completely unrecognizable as the man he was before. His roars died down, and Dean eventually stopped thrashing. He slumped over and didn't move.

Castiel felt a strange tugging at the very core of his being. Confused as to what was happening. He looked at the other angels. The looks on their faces told him they were also experiencing the same sensation. One of the angels gave a yell, and Castiel turned to see that angel breathing hard, clutching her chest. A small glowing white orb was floating in front of her. The woman starred horrified at the soul floated towards Dean, and went through his flesh. That woman's face appeared on Dean's molten skin, her face twisted in agony.

Dean's horned head lifted, a low growl shaking the foundation of the building. More souls were being ripped out of the angels vessels, and all were encased within Dean's fiery bowels, and the more souls that he took in, the more awake and alert Dean became. It was soon apparent what exactly Dean was.

He wasn't just a demon. He was the living, breathing, walking personification of hell. Fire, darkness, and eternal torture; all were encased in Dean's body. He didn't have a consciousness like his other demon form. Then he had wanted to destroy the world. Now, all Dean wanted to do was capture as many souls as he could and lay waste and havoc where ever he went. Hell walking, the sky would bleed and the oceans would dry up.

But first he had to get through these pesky angels.

Castiel felt a final yank in his being and gasped in pain as Jimmy Novak's soul was ripped from its body. As soon as the soul was out, Castiel immediately felt his skin start to tingle. Now that Castiel didn't have a human soul in his vessel to keep his angel powers in check, Castiel's angel power started to have effects on Jimmy's body. Other angels were experiencing the same. Silver light started to branch over their skin, and wings began appearing feather by feather. Castiel knew that it would not be long until his powers over came and destroyed his vessels body. They had to act fast to free their souls from the fiery depths of Dean.

A few angels were already flying around Dean, searching for weak spots and None of them dared attack the torso or chest, where the souls of their vessels were being stored. And besides, that part of Dean was completely made up of fire. Only Dean's hands, hooves, and head were covered in hard stone. As Dean walked, the holy water icicles melted and splashed to the ground, drenching the rapidly changing Castiel.

His form was growing taller, and he could feel his other set of eyes beginning to open up just underneath his other ones. The hair was falling off, and soon the clothes were burning away as well. His skin was giving off a white light, and it soon became overwhelming. Castiel knew that if he didn't keep himself under control, then Jimmy would never be able to reclaim a place in his body.

Castiel concentrated hard and tried to minimize the overflow of angel power. It slowed a little, just enough so that he wasn't growing anymore, but he had gained about fifteen feet in height.

Other angels were barley able to keep their vast powers under control. Especially those battling Dean. They had concentrated their attacked on a large jagged crack that ran over Dean's right eye, on his brow.

Dean howled and started to grab at the small pesky white flying things that were attacking his head. He knew what they were, and he also why he didn't like them. Stupid little pigeons that thought they were so much better than everybody else. Annoying, obnoxious, pompous jerks. But they were no match for him. They could never kill him.

Castiel took off and joined his brothers and sisters in the fight. He arched high and came soaring back down, his fist drawn back and collecting much of his power into that fist. Castiel started to pull away at the last second, and flared his wings out. He threw his fist forward, and there was a white shock wave that emanated when his fist collided with the rough stone.

Dean roared and fell backwards on his back. He lay still for a while, and the angels watched, waiting for signs of life. They landed and hunched over gasping for breath. Castiel felt a small trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. That hit had taken a lot more out of him than he had estimated. He had to keep some on reserve. But then again, maybe not. Dean hadn't moved.

Suddenly, with surprising speed for his size, Dean lurched up and forward. Roaring with all his might, Dean jumped, breaking through the roof of the warehouse and into the sky above. Without hesitation, the angels followed him through the hole.

Dean landed in one of the abandoned lots of the warehouse, the different storage containers stretching left and right. Angels landed on the roofs of the containers, surrounding Dean. Castiel flew above, examining the enormous creature. Castiel grinned when he saw what he was looking for.

Surely enough, there was a small, slow and steady leak of bright fire-orange blood dripping from Deans brow. Excellent, they had drawn blood. Now all they needed to do was collect a little, and remove the demon essence, soul, whatever it had become, once and for all.

Castiel dive bombed Dean, crashing his other fist into the side of his face. The other angels did likewise and took off from the roof. Dean tried to snatch and grab at the angels, like king kong with the airplanes at the top of the empire state building. He had managed to knock one angel out of the sky and into one of the storage units. Empty tin cans scattered across the ground and around Deans hooves.

The angles continued to bombard and barrage Dean with blows, and each and everyone of them had empowered their fist with their knock-out powers. On humans it only took two fingers. This was going to take a lot more than that. The angels were fast and agile, and could easily land a touch. But Dean was strong, and not even after fifty blows did he seem phased at all. Castiel was beginning to wonder if taking this thing down was even possible.

_Dear god, please help us._ Castiel prayed, which he thought was what all the other angels were doing. Some angels were beginning to tire, and were lagging in their maneuverability, making it easier for Dean to smack them out of the air. Castiel was one of only a few flying angels left, and Dean was still coming on strong, fueled by the souls he kept trapped in his bowels.

Castiel's vision was beginning to waver, and before he knew it, Dean's large clawed hand came whooshing towards him. He was spinning and falling through the air, and he hit the pavement with a loud crack and a small crater in the earth. Castiel stared up at the sky, blackness swimming at the edges. There was to way to take down this creature, this monster that was made up of fire and pain and suffering. Castiel prayed for help one last time. As he expected, nothing happened.

He heard Dean give a roar. But this was unlike any roar he had given before. It was filled with pain and surprise. There was a loud bang, and the earth shuddered beneath Castiel. Castiel managed to chase the blackness away one more time, and lifted his head to see what it was all about.

The huge demon was lying on the ground. His eyebrow was bleeding profusely, and there was no conscious light behind his eyes. Castiel looked around to see who had caused it. One light very far off in the distance, fading very fast, told Castiel all he needed to know.

_Michael._

As if on queue, a booming voice whispered in Castiel's head; take care of him, my brother.

Angels gathered around the fallen demon, breathing hard, and some even cradling wounded limbs. One took a hand and dragged it across the earth, creating a large circle and pentagram around the demon. Before getting ready to do the extraction ritual, Castiel took one of the tin cans on the ground and went about to the demons head. The bright orange blood leaked out of Dean's face and across his forehead into the ground. Castiel let a couple of enormous drops fall into the can, which was enough to fill it halfway full. He then sealed the can and stepped out of the circle. The angels began chanting, and Dean's hideous demon form began to evaporate, the red and black smoke collecting together in one ball above him.

When the ritual was done, and the essence had finally been cleansed from Dean, one of the angels collected it in a silver canister.

Dean was lying on the ground, and somehow his clothes had all survived the ordeal. His skin was gray, and his eyes were moving behind his head. Castiel lifted on of Dean's eyelids to see that his iris was a swirling mix of gray, green, blue, and brown. Castiel looked down at his form. Removing the souls that were trapped in Dean's body was not going to be easy. Do-abble, but not easy.

Besides, now that Dean was stable, and his regular essence levels had been restored, it wasn't like anymore bad things could happen.

Right?

* * *

A/N: I'm evil, I know. So what do you guys think? Honestly, it could go two ways from here. Dean could return to normal and Sam would get cured, they live happily ever after (somewhat). OR I could shoot out a whole other story line that would take you further on this adventure with out favorite hunters. Comment and tell me what you would like.

Yay, Castiel got a chance to change into his true form. I don't know where I got the idea of four eyes, but he said in one of the new epsiodes this season that his true form was about the size of our empire state building? Idk, but he's tall. Sorry for any grammatical or pelling errors. Read, review, and enjoy!


	22. Half a Soul

The battle is over, Sam is revived and Dean is finally rid of the essence. But does that mean everything is alright again?

* * *

Dean lay on the other bed in the room that Sam and him had shared since they were kids. He slowly turned his head to look at his sleeping brother. He was very pale, his lips and fingers turning blue. If Cas didn't hurry up with that serum, there was going to be trouble. Honestly, Dean would have gotten up to go check on him if he could. But right now, his entire torso was numb. There are red abrasions on his chest and stomach, where more than a dozen angels had reached inside him to get their vessels souls back.

It took three of them to hold him down, not that they had much trouble with their special forms. But Dean thought the red searing pain was more than he could bear when it came to their powers swimming through his body, trying to find them. Apparently, some of the souls didn't want to go back into their angel-infested bodies. Maybe it was because they finally got a taste of normality again, and were too selfish to let go. Much to Dean's disfavor.

His abs were sore. So sore, that Dean could barely support his upper body. His limbs felt heavy, and his head was pounding. But for some reason, Dean felt lighter internally. Was the relief of carrying those souls in his body? Or was it the lack of essence, that had been plaguing his body for so long? Which made Dean wonder, what were they going to do with it?

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs distracted Dean's thoughts. He grimaced as he turned his head the other way to see the door. Castiel and Bobby who had gotten back only shortly after Castiel had brought Dean back to the house after extracting the souls. Bobby said he had succeeded in hunting down and killing the werewolf, and came back here as fast as he could to do what he could to help.

Castiel was carrying a glass filled with a faintly glowing orange liquid. Dean stared at it. Castiel had put an image in Dean's mind when he reluctantly asked. Dean was shocked and amazed at what he had become. But he knew that his blood had been much brighter than that.

"What did you do to it?" Dean asked.

"I lowered the amount of demonic energy so it would be less harmful to Sam." Castiel said.

"Okay, why?"

"Because if we had given it to him straight, he would have spontaneously combusted." Bobby said.

Dean nodded and laid his head back down. Castiel walked over to the other side of the room were Sam was laying, hardly breathing. Bobby stayed next to Dean, both watching Castiel carefully.

Castiel tilted Sam's chin up, propping his head high on the pillow. Sam didn't react to anything. Castiel parted Sam's lips and poured half a mouthful of the blood into his mouth. Sam still didn't react. Castiel started rubbing the muscles on his neck, making Sam swallow the liquid. Dean and Bobby held their breath. A few seconds passed and nothing happened.

"Cas, why isn't it-"

Sam suddenly gasped, opening his eyes wide. He sat up a little, looking around sleepily, as if he had just woken up from a dream instead of a five-day death-threatening coma. He saw Dean, Bobby, and Castiel staring at him. He blinked lazily and swallowed, surprised at how dry his throat was.

"Hey, what's going on?" He said in a raspy voice. There was already some color coming back into his cheeks.

Dean laughed, and Sam looked over at him.

"What the hell happened to you?" Sam became concerned.

"That, little brother, is one hell of a long story." Dean chuckled, then grimaced afterwards.

They all had breakfast in that room, except for Castiel, as Dean still couldn't go anywhere. Dean brought Sam up on what had been going since after he fell asleep.

"So Dean's power-house essence free?" Sam asked, looking at Castiel.

Castiel in turn reached inside his trench coat pocket and pulled out a corked vial. Dean grimaced at the sight of it. There was the same mist floating freely in the glass, small bits of black chunks resting on the bottom.

"Dude, get rid of that thing before something bad happens." Dean growled. Castiel concealed the vial.

"I will bring it to heaven, where we can properly dispose of it forever."

"Good, I don't ever want it in me again." Dean laid his head back.

"Don't you think it's kind of funny how such a little thing can cause so much trouble?" Sam laughed. "I mean, it's like snow. Individually, it's nothing. But if you have a whole lot of it, then it becomes a problem."

Everyone stared at Sam for his random comment. Sam gulped.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep…" Everyone laughed.

It wasn't until that afternoon that Dean could actually move his torso. The red welts weren't as inflamed, his but muscles were still sore.

"Whatever. Just put a little icy hot on them and I'll feel fine." Dean had said.

The next morning, Sam and Dean had their stuff ready to go. Castiel had disappeared to destroy Dean's essence, leaving Bobby, Sam, and Dean to say goodbye and move on. Just like they always do. Dean said that there was something up in Wisconsin about a haunted comic book store. It would be a nice easy reprieve after all the intensity of the last few weeks. They smiled, thanked Bobby, and he told them to stay out of trouble, and keep in touch. The brothers went out to the Impala and drove out of Singer's Auto Salvage yard.

Sam knew something was up the minute Dean said he didn't want to drive, that he didn't want to be sitting up all day with his sore abdomen. Then what really got him worried was when he turned his music off and didn't go to sleep. He stared out the window of the cars passing by, a solemn look overcoming his face. He seemed to be really deep in thought. Sam thought that given time, Dean would let him in on what was going on. But when did that ever really happen? But Sam was torn with asking him about it now or later. Now, he could at least get an inkling as to what it was, and then that would lead to a huge outburst from Dean later. But asking later, he could confront him face to face, and get the whole truth then. With Dean, it was always hard to tell. Sam made a decision.

"Hey, what up?" Sam said, lightly hitting Dean's arm.

"The sky."

"No, what's up with you."

"Sam, really? I'm tired, I've just been through the longest few months of my life, and it was filled with hellhounds, demon transformations, cleansing, angel transformations, falling, more demons transformations, and putting the world in jeopardy three times. I deserve a little peace and quiet."

"You can sleep later. And I know you'll just push it off again." Sam clenched the wheel. "Come on Dean, it's just us. What is it?"

Dean paused. Sam didn't know if he was just ignoring him, collecting his thoughts, or thinking about what to say.

"I don't know, Sam." Dean started. "I didn't notice it at first, but all of a sudden, I can feel it even more than before."

"Feel what? Dean?"

"Ever since I came back from hell…I don't know, there was a hole, I guess, inside me. I knew I had left a part of myself back there. At first, it was easy to ignore, and I could get by normally. But it was always there, like an itch on my heart that I couldn't scratch. Sometimes I felt like the dreams I would have would be what that other part of me was seeing back in hell. It was real enough." Dean paused, swallowing. "Which makes me wonder what I'm going to dream about tonight, now that the other part of me is in the Oblivion."

Sam looked over at his brother, and gaped at what he saw. Dean's face was very pale, and his eyes were turning red. It was then that Sam saw just how broken his brother was. He was suffering and Sam couldn't do anything to help it. Sam felt something tug painfully in his gut, but refused to let his eyes tear up.

"But now, after everything we've been through, the hole is bigger. I can't hide it, can't pretend that it's not there. I think it's because now that it's destroyed, I no longer have that safety rope. It was far away, but it existed. Now it doesn't and there's nothing I can do to fill this gaping hole in my soul."

Sam coughed a little, trying to get the tension that had formed at the top of his throat out. A very sad realization had dawned on him. Dean was no longer the strong, invincible brother that Sam had looked up to and admired for twenty-three years of his life. Now, he was weak and fragile, on the verge of falling off into abyss.

Sam didn't say anything, because he knew there was nothing to say. Dean eventually did drift off, and Sam and Dean continued to ride off across the country. But both Sam and Dean knew, that when one changed, then neither would also never be the same.

* * *

That night in his dreams, Dean slept in complete darkness. No screams, no fire or blood. Just complete darkness. Dean figured that this had to be oblivion. He was nothing. Not flesh, not smoke, not even part of the darkness that surrounded him. He was just nothing. He couldn't panic, he couldn't close the eyes he didn't have. He couldn't hyperventilate. There was nothing he could do, because he _was_ nothing.

The next morning when Dean woke up, he knew that this would be what awaited him every night when he closed his eyes. He opened a bottle of jack straight away and gulped down three glasses.

There was a part of Dean that didn't exist. He could feel it like a literal hole in his being. A hole that throbbed and suck away the energy and emotion from the rest of him. He thought that if he were given the chance to have that part of him back, demon or angel, he'd do it in a heart beat.

But it was gone. And he was left with a broken soul. An incomplete soul.

For the rest of his life, it would be this way.

Dean Winchester. The man with half of a soul.

* * *

A/N: I've been in plenty of situations where something climax's to a really good point, but the downfall is hard and treacherous. So I decided to redo the chapter and make it the end. Sorry to the guys who saw the first version and are expecting another chapter. It just wasn't working out. Thus concludes the first story of the Verto Arc.

BUT, if some of you got inspired, and think you gave the imagination to continue with little tale, then by all means, talk to me about a sequel. That's not a request, just an invite. Thank you to all who commented and read. This story has gotten so many hits. Make sure to check out my other stories.

Tiger Moon - Dean is bitten by a werewolf. But this isn't a normal werewolf. Not really even a wolf, per-say. Looking for a cure brings them in alliance with another were like Dean, and she reveals a side of the brothers. Especially Sam. A little Sam/OC. were!dean.

It's My Job - It has been my entire life. You think I'm just going to blow it off because it's the end of the world? Hell no! Get ready Lucifer, 'cause I'm coming for you. Alternate ending to Season 5 "Swan Song". It's good, I swear!

Praecordia - When Sam and Dean are captured and forced to compete in a deadly tournament, it's going to take all the brothers have to keep their brotherhood...and their humanity. Title is Latin for "soul." were!sam, were!dean. Second story in the Verto Arc.


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